Did you miss me?
by Jessica'sStarSong
Summary: Sakura moved to Suna when she was five. She did what no one else would and befriended a lonely Gaara. Her parents,afraid of Gaara's demon, took Sakura from Suna to Konoha. Due to a concussion Sakura forgets her memories of Gaara. He does not.
1. The move

_Authers space: first ever story. GaaSaku forever. I got this story idea from a dream actually. An odd dream where gaara was not Gaara but a panda...yea anyway enjoy :)_

_DISCLAIMER: I DONT OWN NARUTO BUT NARUTO OWNS ME...LOL_

**Did you miss me? **

**Chapter 1: the move.:**

"Mommy?" Sakura asked, as her mother was putting all of her fine china into a padded bag. "Where are we going?" Sakuras mother paused before continuing to pack. "Suna" she replied briskly. "But mommy, why Suna? It's so very far away!" Sakura whined, as only a five-year old can whine.

"I told you before! Sakura" her mother intoned impatiently. "We need to get out of stone because your father was requested specifically by the kazekage!" Sakura's father was not a ninja like sakura wanted to be, but a Medic Nin who skills were quite well known. "I can't see why the kazekage cant chose someone else" sakura mumbled under her breath.

"Sakura" her mother sighed. "I'm sure your going to love it in suna! The sunsets…. The fairs….Oh! And think of all the new friends you're bound to make!" Sakura stopped complaining and looked up at her mother. "Do you really think so? Will they make fun of my forehead?" Sakura asked as she pushed her gum pink hair to cover her forehead.

Sakuras mother stopped packing and went to her daughter. "Sakura your forehead is beautiful!" She said as she pushed the hair out of the way to plant a big kiss right on the middle of Sakuras forehead. "The kids don't think so..." Sakura said quietly. "Oh baby I" Sakuras mother started but was interrupted by a door opening and a booming voice asking "Is everyone packed?"

Sakuras mother stood up from sakura and said "Yes honey just let me finish up!" As she started to pack again. Sakuras father stepped into the house a turned to Sakura. He bent on his knee to be level with her and asked "how's my cherry blossom today?" "Not that good" sakura said, finding the carpet suddenly very interesting.

"What?" sakuras father asked "why?" "Sakuras worried that the kids will make fun of her in Suna." Sakuras mother pointed out from where she was packing the fine china. "No kids going to make fun of my baby" he growled at sakura. "Or ill give them this!" Sakuras father flexed his flabby arm. Since he was not a ninja he felt no need to work out so he was quite a bit chubby. Sakura could see when he flexed it, it wiggled. Sakura giggled and said "we wouldn't want that, would we?" Sakuras father pretended to look hurt. "What?" he asked "you don't think I'm tough?" "No, I don-" before sakura could finish her father swept her into a huge bear hug and twirled her around.

Sakura shrieked in laughter as she was danced across the room. All of a sudden a loud "neigh" was heard from outside the home. "Oh?" Sakura squirmed out of her fathers grasp and walked to the door.

Her mother and father glanced at each other, smiling as sakura opened the door and shrieked "a horse!" She ran outside and saw a carriage with a full grown mare with brown speckles all over it. Sakuras parents walked out of the house, and stood by sakura. "This is brownstar: she's going to take us to Suna" said her father. "You know daddy?" asked sakura. "I don't think ill mind moving to Suna after all" Her father and mother smiled.

**Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

The old playground swing squeaked in protest as a little red haired boy of six got on it. He was holding a teddy bear that was tattered and worn. The boy got on the swing but did not sway. Instead he was listening to kids of his age and older playing soccer in a little park near the playground. Suddenly the voices of the children stopped in an almost hushed silence and the boy on the swing started to hear little whispers of "who is she?" and "is she new?" or "she's so pretty!" Then he heard a cute girls voice say "Hi! My name is Sakura Haruno. Can I play with you?" He then heard a boy say "Sure! Anyone can play" Then the game started up again. The boy on the swing set gasped 'A-Anyone?' he thought 'will they let me play if I ask nicely like Haruno-san did?'

Suddenly a medium sized soccer ball came rolling slowly out of the bushes and few trees. It leisurely landed at the boy's feet. Trembling, he got off the swing and bent down to replace his teddy bear with the ball. All of a sudden a teenager with brown hair came trudging through the bushes. He was looking behind him yelling "Matsoukis whydahs kick it so 'ard?" An "I'm sorry" was his swift reply. "Well next time make sure to…." The teen trailed off as soon as he spotted the boy with the ball.

He took a step back, mouth wide open.

The red haired boy stood there and slowly held the ball out and asked timidly "C-can I play to?' The teen looked horrified and scrambled to make it back through the bushes. "N-No!" the teen yelled fearfully. "b-but y-you said anyone could play!" The red haired boy reminded him taking small step forward arms still held out. "W-well I c-changed my mind!" the teen stuttered and suddenly scrambled through the bushes allowing all the kids that where playing in the park to know what took him so long.

Then there was a huge panic and kids screamed "Its Sabaku no Gaara!" They all fell over each other in there flurry of fear to leave they forgot the small bubble gum haired girl who was returning with a ball of her own, after all the kids complained about getting the first ball. "Eh? Shun, Koki. Kagome? Where are you going?" The girl yelled at there retreating figures. "Don't leave me alone" she whispered. Gaara, The red headed boy was in pain. All he wanted to do was to play with them. Was that so hard? Gaara hadn't done anything remotely wrong that he could think of, so why did they shun him so.

Then Gaara realized he was not alone and that a girl with cherry blossom hair was standing alone in the park, staring in the direction of the children. 'Why isn't she running like the others' Gaara thought. 'Does she not see me? Is she new? I haven't seen her before' but that didn't mean that much. Gaara was never really allowed to see children of his age group that often.

Suddenly Gaara got a small idea. Maybe she would like to play with him.

Timidly, Gaara approached the pink haired girl and asked shyly "W-would you like to play with me?" The girl raised her head surprised, like she had not noticed he was there and after a while said with a relived grin "sure!"

Gaara stared confused as she got the ball. Did she just say yes? "You would like to play with m-me?" Gaara repeated dimly.

"Of course" she said "I said "yes" didn't I?"

Gradually a smile spread on Gaara's lips. She did not run! She wants to play! Gaara felt so happy that he almost let out a giggle. "What's you name?" asked the girl. "Gaara." Gaara said "I'm Sakura" the girl replied. Gaara vaguely noticed that this was the same girls voice he heard when she kicked him the ball. Gaara reminded himself no to use the sand. He didn't want to scare her. His first friend. _Sakura_…

Then they played and Gaara finally was acting if only for a few moments like the six-year old he actually was. Playing and laughing in the sand…._with a friend_!

**Imagine that blue botton that says "review" on it is your worst enemy! Now...Push it hard!**

**please review**


	2. The hug

_wow...6_ _reviews! thanks_ _guys! now for replys:_

**_EllsBells01:_ **_Heres your update like requested pipeing hot and ready to be read! Thanks for reviewing!_

_**Lovestories:** Thanks for the review! I'm glad you like the story! Heres the update just to make you happy..._

_**xXxyellow-rose-violinistxXx: **meow? LOL WTF... Anyway thanks for reviewing! Woof!_

_**FireDragon456:** Would you like a side of frys with this update?_

_**AlaskenWildflower:** Thanks! I thought my begining was a bit crappy! _

**_Bethany: Thank you so much for the long review! Thanks for pushing the button! Oh that reminds me of a song :push the button push th button The worlds gonna blow up so push the button!: Sorry...Thanks! --_**

_DISCLAMER: IF I OWNED NARUTO I WOULDNT BE WRITING A FANFICTION!_

* * *

**Did you miss me? **

****

**Chapter 2: The hug!.:**

"Gaara-kun?" Sakura asked as they finished there soccer game.

"Yes sakura-Chan?" Gaara asked timidly. Sakura looked at the sand and gently stoked it, allowing sand to fall through her fingers. Gaara sighed in happiness at Sakura touching the sand. "I have to go home now Gaara-kun. My mommy and daddy are probably worried now" Gaara's face fell but then he looked up again hopefully. "y-you WILL come back. Wont you?" Sakura nodded strongly and said "for sure I will! Tomorrow! First thing in the morning! 'cause you're my bestest friend ever!" Gaara gasped "r-really you mean that?" "Sure I do!" Sakura confirmed. "This was so much fun!" Gaara could feel his eyes start to water and he wanted to give Sakura the biggest hug possible. "c-can I hug you Sakura-Chan?" he asked quietly. Sakura looked shocked for a moment and Gaara was afraid he had offended her for a second "I'm sorry for asking. I shouldn't have. I'm so ru" Gaara was interrupted suddenly by a tiny scream from Sakura. "Sakura-Chan?!"

Gaara yelled in horror as he saw sakura on the playground floor covered in cuts.

"What happened?" Sakura sniffed "I was shocked that you had to ask me for a hug. So I wanted to give you one…but the floor suddenly came alive and threw me down!" Sakura sobbed. Gaara gasped in realization at what had happened. Feeling awfulness wash over him like the water he was so afraid of he tried to calm himself down from his fear for sakura. He had asked for a hug without thinking of the sand and Sakura…the generous, wonderful person she was tried to give him one. Gaara was horrified that he could have killed sakura or wounded her badly. "I'm so sorry Sakura-chan! It is my fault." Gaara told her, his head bent. Sakura looked confused and was about to say something but Gaara beat her to it. "Sakura-chan….I can control sand. I don't know why but it protects me and I can make it do things!" Sakura stared at Gaara. "R-really?" She asked. Gaara nodded slowly.

"What else can it do?" sakura asked as she brushed herself off the floor and wiped her eyes. "A-All sorts of stuff!" Gaara said now trying to prove to sakura that the sand wasn't all bad. "It can make statues and buildings and…oh!" Gaara stopped a moment with an idea. "I-I'll make you something! T-Then you won't hate Gaara as much as you do now for hurting you!" He said. "G-Gaara-kun I don't hate you….and I t-think it's c-cool that you can move sand!" sakura told him now more confident. "You don't sakura? Really don't? You don't hate me?" sakura shook her head "no!" she said stubbornly. After a few moments Gaara spoke. "Then m-may I try something?" Sakura nodded slowly, confused.

Slowly but surely Gaara spread his arms out and approached sakura cautiously. Bit by bit he came closer until they were almost touching and Gaara went a little nearer. Then a feeling like passing an invisible barrier game to both Gaara and Sakura and they hugged.

To Sakura who had given millions of hugs during her life had never ever experienced a hug like Gaara's. It was a lonely, comforting, sweet, and sad embrace. It was as if sakura could feel all of Gaara's burdens, pains… 'What has Gaara-kun been through' sakura thought sadly. 'Is it 'cause of the sand?'

Gaara was in ecstasy! He had never been hugged before. He had never met such a beautiful, glorious, wonderful human being like sakura Haruno! His heart beat widely in his ribcage and Gaara wanted to be with her forever! While he felt like laughing in delight he also felt like crying in pain. Why could none else see him like sakura did.

Like a person not a a a monster!

But all good things must end and slowly sakura and Gaara pulled apart. "Gaara-kun you're my best friend! I will come tomorrow bright and early in the morning! Please be there!" Sakura pleaded as she picked up her soccer ball. "I-I will sakura-chan! Y-you're my best friend too!" Gaara told her smiling subtly. Sakura gave a dazzling smile and began to walk in the direction of her new home. "Good bye Gaara-kun!" As sakuras retreating form was lost among the town Gaara then whispered still smiling "bye Saku-chan see you tomorrow…"

* * *

"Hi mommy!" Sakura called out as she opened the door to her new house. "Sakura! Welcome back. Why so long at the park? Meet any new friends?"

Sakura smiled to herself and said "a bit…" Sakura walked into the kitchen to see that her mother was attempting (attempting!) to cook a meal. "Ah Sakura now that you're here would you help" Sakuras mother took a glance at sakura and stopped speaking. "Chomping chunnin's! What did you do to yourself? You have cuts everywhere!"

Sakura glanced down at herself and realized the cuts she got from gaaras sand were still there. "Oh hah hah ummm you see…" Sakura dug threw her brain for an excuse. "I was playing soccer and I landed on the ground" Not a complete lie…she **was**playing soccer with Gaara and she **did** fall on the ground. Her mother frowned but accepted the excuse. She turned off the stove and mumbled "let's clean you up!" Sakura grinned.

* * *

Gaara was so happy. He did not remember ever being happy before. Gaara picked up his teddy and skipped with it home.

As Gaara was walking down the town road he ignored the usual glares and whispers behind his back and tried to imagine what sakura was doing now. Was she being tucked in by a loving mother who read a story to her? Maybe she was already in bed asleep in a bright pick room of her own. Was she thinking of him?

Gaara beamed at the thought of his one friend thinking of him in her room.

As Gaara reached his home (more like his families home) he opened the door and saw that his two siblings, Temari and Kankuro were in the doorway apparently about to leave.

They shivered when they saw Gaara but covered it with a glare. But Gaara just smiled and said "HI Temari, Kankuro!" and bounced up the stairs.

Soon Gaara got to his playroom. It was actually his bedroom but since Gaara did not sleep he called it a playroom.

Gaara walked in and shut the door. He headed to a small stool in the middle of the room which contained drawing supplies. Gaara kneeled at the stool and began to color. But then Gaara stopped. 'What should I color?' he thought then he got it 'sakura-chan!' and he began to draw.

An hour later Gaara was done and looked at his drawing proudly but then frowned. His picture of sakura was pretty but no nearly as beautiful as the real thing. But Gaara shrugged and thought 'I think that's a good thing…it makes sakura priceless!'

Suddenly the door to gaaras room opened and a voice which Gaara could recognize immediately as his uncle asked "Gaara can I come in?" Gaara nodded and his uncle slid into the room. "What are you drawing? It's very pretty!" Gaara smiled proudly and said "it's my best friend Sakura Haruno!" "Who's sakura Haruno?" Yashamaru asked. "My best friend!" Gaara said again. "I met her today at the park. We played soccer together! Oh and she hugged me!" Gaara said excitedly. Yashamaru frowned to himself as Gaara said he was putting the picture on their refrigerator. 'Oh god' he thought 'please let that little girl be safe from that monster who killed my sister!'

"Yashamaru!" called gaaras voice from down stairs. "I'm coming Gaara" Yashamaru said as he put the happy tone in his voice again but inwardly he hissed.

**Think of the happyist place on earth! A land of elves ann faries! And all you have to do to get there is click "Go" on that blue button and it will make you go to a magical review page! yay!**

**Please review...**


	3. The confusion!

Thanks for the reviews though there were few. Come on people review!

_**xXxyellow-rose-violinistxXx**: thanks for switching to meow! the other word would be to hard to write out! lol thanks _

_**AlaskenWildflower: **oh yes i dispise him too! poor little gaara trusting so easily! dont worry sakuras gonna take care of him! _

_s**ophie29:** Well wait no longer! cue baseball music heres the update...And the reviewers go wild! cheers_

_**cute0anime0addict:** Yes remeber gaara is only 6 and sakuras 5! A hug is a big deal to them...More so to Gaara! remember that he has NEVER been huged before._

**_Bethany: Thanks again for the long review! i really really like those!! Im up for critics and such so tell me whether I need to improve or not! Did you know im only 12 years old? yea...Im still in 6th grade! Do you think I write well for my age group?_**

DISCLAIMER: IF I OWNED NARUTO I WOULDNT BE PLAYING WITH A NON-NINJA DOG RIGHT NOW!

* * *

**Did you miss me? **

**Chapter 3: the confusion!.:**

She walked drowsily to her mirror and began to brush her long curls.

In the mirror sakura could see herself, a pink haired five-year old with bright emerald eyes.

Her body was thin and wryly like all non-obese five-year olds were and her face was small and rounded. Sakura hated being so small and weak. That was why she strived to be a ninja. So that she could protect herself…and her friends and family.

Sakuras parents however were not fond of this idea, for sakuras father, being a medic-ninja, had seen many ninja in surgery with almost bloodcurdling injuries.

They often tried to distract her from her goal by repeatedly showing her other "safe" (so they said), Jobs.

One day they were on a tour guild for a famous Japanese spring, when her father asked the tour guild bluntly "what's the pay?"

Too many incidents like that had happened that it actually drove sakura to wanting to become a ninja more and more.

Sakuras eyes glazed over as she thought 'I bet Gaara would believe in me'.

Suddenly her eyes widened and her brush stopped moving.

'Gaara!' she thought franticly dropping the hair brush on the floor and rushed around the room to get dressed.

'J promised him I would meet him first thing in the morning!' Sakura craned her neck to look over the large stool which held the clock. 10:11. it said, in its bold red letters. Sakura groaned as she finished slipping on her small crop shoes.

As Sakura ran out her bedroom door sakura found a note on the fridge. Is said:

_Honey _

_, your father and I were called by the kazekage for an important meeting. There's food in the fridge. You're welcome to visit the park you were playing at yesterday but don't go far_

_Love Mommy_

Sakura sighed relieved that she would not have to explain why she was leaving without eating breakfast to her mother.

Sakura quickly ran to the door to her new house and darted as fast as she could to the playground she had meet Gaara yesterday.

Sakuras eyes filled with tears at the thought of Gaara sitting there all alone on the swing/ rocking gently back and forth. Perhaps he was making little statues with the sand like he said he could make. 'I hope he's not angry for my being late' Sakura thought worriedly.

* * *

"Bye Yashamaru!" Gaara called out as he sped happily through the door at 6:32.

He was anxious to see sakura again!

He smiled at the thought of sakura coming towards him waving and saying "Hi Gaara-kun! I missed you!"

He hugged himself tightly as he ran to where they had met.

Gaara had waited all night for this.

He frowned remembering how hard it was to meditate while his mind kept going to his best friend. You see, Gaara could not sleep. Well he supposed he could…but everyone since he was 2-years old banned him from sleeping. He did not know why… but Yashamaru taught him to meditate instead of sleeping and Gaara couldn't remember sleeping so he did not miss it.

Gaara grinned. He now had two friends! Yashamaru, and of course, his new friend, sakura Haruno. Sakura…what a delicate name. The perfect name for his friend. Gaara did not know much about sakura blossoms from living in the desert but he did know that the sakura blossom were beautiful pink flowers that had a short lifespan. Gaara thought that sakura was beautiful so the name fit. He just hoped sakura would live long and happy for all her life. Gaara clenched his fists. He would make sure of it even if it ended his own life. Gaara didn't really care about his own life. He was hated and his name was spat upon but sakura…no sakura had a loving family probably. 'She also must have tons of other friends' Gaara thought sadly. As Gaara approached the playground he shook off his fears and sadness. 'Sakura won't want to see that' he thought.

Gaara looked all around the playground. 'She's not here…' he thought suddenly.

But then a warming image came to his head. It was of sakura snug in a pink bed dreaming. 'She's probably still asleep' he thought calmly. 'Yes that's it. She's most likely waking up right now! She will wake up, think of me, and come to see me!'

That is what Gaara thought for a whole four and a half hours.

* * *

Temari and Kankuro were sitting in their beige colored living room. They were simply sitting there until Kankuro remembered what he had wanted to ask Temari about.

"Temari?" he asked. She sighed then answered her little brother. "Yes Kankuro?"

"Did you notice how weird _he_ was acting yesterday?" Temari tensed as soon as Kankuro Said _he_. She knew who he was talking about. Gaara. The demon whose birth killed her mother and ruined her fathers life. The monster that did not even deserve a painless death. "Yes Kankuro I did notice how _he_ was acting…it was strange..." She said. "Fishy is what it is." Kankuro said as started to bite his nails. One of his nervous habits he had gained since Gaara was born. Two years ago, since Kankuro was eight.

"Stop that!" Temari said as she whacked his nails out of his mouth. "And yes" she continued "I do think it is apprehensive." Temari had strangely mature vocabulary from a young age. She was only nine but made it almost a goal to say a word at least once a day that most grownups did not know. Maybe her vocabulary matured since having to grow up so fast since her mother was killed by that creature.

Kankuro scratched his head. "What does appre …" Kankuro's mouth twisted in an odd expression as he tried to say the word apprehensive. "Fishy" Temari said saving him the trouble. Kankuro nodded okay and Temari continued. "Maybe we should tell Yashamaru about this…or father perhaps?" Temari asked.

Kankuro thought for a moment and then said "okay. This might be special!"

"Important, vital, significant" Temari said correcting Kankuro's odd word choice.

"Whatever, come on!" Kankuro said as he pulled his sister outside.

That was were they heard a crying noise.

Temari stopped. "Did you hear that?" she asked Kankuro who still was holding on to her sleeve.

"Hear wh" Kankuro stopped mid sentence when a sniffling noise interrupted him.

"Where's it coming from?" Kankuro asked. Temari shushed him and started to walk towards bushes where the sound was coming from.

Temari peered through the bushes to see a park. 'I forgot this old playground was still here' she thought. Her gaze went over the trees then stopped when she saw a flash of pink. 'What the?' she thought then she noticed that the pink was hair on top of a little girls head. 'An odd color…' Temari thought.

The girl looked young. 'Probably only a little bit younger then the demon'. Suddenly Kankuro poked his head from behind her and yelled "what do you see?" This startled Temari so much that she fell through the bushes and landed with a "thump" on the ground out of the bushes. The pink haired girl jumped up at the sound and started to say "Gaa" but she stopped as soon as she saw it was Temari. "w-who are y-you?" the girl stuttered peering out beneath pink bangs at tamari's fallen figure. Temari didn't have time to answer because Kankuro stepped out of the bushes saying "hi I'm Kankuro and she's Temari."

**Your getting exited...I can tell!... you want an update!...I want reviews...Can we compramise?**

**Please review.**


	4. The Misunderstanding

_Thanks for the 9 reviews! Im so sorry i was late you see I was in a musical over these few days and i have to go there as soon as school lets out...Really! Its called Pirates of Penzance. i play Annibell...One daughter... :(_

_**xXxyellow-rose-violinistxXx: **4 hours in the desert too! Poor lonely Gaara! thanks for the review! _

_**cute0anime0addict**: I LOVE YOU!! you put my name on your (long) faverete authers list! crys im not worthy!! Did you know im 12 too! My names jessica. Yes i read your profile and your one poem you have on the shootings made me cry._

_**lydia-chan: **smiles im glad you like it Sempei! yor sempei cause your older then me by two whole years! Yes im 12!_

_**AlaskenWildflower: **Thank you so much for reviwing all the chapters so far! your so loyal crys i always forget to revie \w storys! Maybe its my forgetfulness from old age but im only 12 so i dont think its that..._

_**super-rat:** hmmm maybe...actually maybe i'll even show where Inner Sakura came from.Yea thats not a bad idea! Thanks!_

_**Narutofang91:**They are butt-heads but its just because thay fear him! they think he is evil completely!_

_**Nyanonymous:** Thank you for the tips! I'll try on the description but we just started learning how to right good descriptive storys a week ago at school. im 12, in 6th grade. Thanks! _

_**soccercrazyfreak:** Here you go! An update for your reading craves! thanks for reviewing!_

**_Bethany_:**_WOW such a long review! I simply LOVE hearing from you! youve given me reviews from chapter 1! Yup im only 12 and i feel small...anyway your just awsome!_

**THIS CHAPTER IS DEDICATED TO BETHANY FOR ALWAYS BEING SUCH A GOOD REVIEWER! SHE DESERVES AN AWARD!**

DISCLAIMER: IF YOU THINK A BROWN-HAIRED 12 YEAR OLD GIRL OWNS NARUTO YOU NEED TO VIST A MENTAL ESTABLISHMENT!

* * *

**Did you miss me? **

**Chapter 4: the Misunderstanding!.:**

Temari got up and brushed herself off.

"Kankuro!" she yelled at him. "Why did you do that?"

He shrugged "I wanted to know what it was." He said simply. "Tell me one reason why I shouldn't beat you silly right now!" Temari roared pointing her fist in the direction of his facade. "Ummm" Kankuro stammered. "Ah! I know because of young audiences watching!" Temari turned away from Kankuro and saw that the pink haired girl was still there.

She had wiped her tears away and brushed sand off her outfit. This was a cute pink sun dress with a small red symbol in the chest. Temari scratched her head embarrassed. "I'm sorry" Temari said.

She pointed at Kankuro. "I sometimes get so mad at him it's hard to stop." The pink haired girl nodded and looked at the sand floor of the dusty old playground. Temari looked around. The playground was large and had only two figures standing in what would be without them just a field. The figures were a small swing set which had only one working swing. The other was snapped and hanging by one chain in the air.

Every so often a breeze would come and rattle it. The other object was a rusty slide in the far corner of the playground. It was so rusty infact that no one played on it in fear of getting a hurt bottom. Temari had forgotten that this barren playground was even here. Behind her own house. Temari turned her gaze back on the little girl. "Why were you crying?" She asked inquiringly.

The girl looked down to escape Temari's gaze then glanced up and said "i-I promised a friend." She stopped "a best friend that I would meet him here today first thing in the morning but I overslept and he wasn't here when I finely came." The girl sniffed. Temari looked at the girl tenderly feeling sorry for her. She probably really liked her friend. No! Excuse me, **best** friend. "What's your name sweetie?" she asked comfortably.

"H-Haruno Sakura." The girl said shyly, most likely embarrassed in front of her elders even if by only a few years. "Well Sakura-san it's your lucky day! We are going to help you find your friend!" Sakura looked relived. "r-really?" she asked at the same time Kankuro groaned "really?" "Yes" Temari said whacking Kankuro on his skull. "Now come on Sakura-san Think." Sakura looked confused "about what?" she asked puzzled.

"Think if your friend has any favorite food stands like restaurants?" Sakura thought for a moment then shook her head. "Places?" Another head shake. "Hangouts?" "Nope!" "Games?" "No" "Does your friend like anything?" Temari finally boomed impatiently.

Sakura close to tears said "I-I met my best friend yesterday!" Temari looked bemused. "You met this person yesterday and there already your best friend?" Sakura nodded severely "we had so much fun together." "Alright" Temari said "let me think…" after a few moments Temari head came up and said "Okay Sakura where do you live?"

Sakura looked at her perplexed. "1202 sand dune circle….why?" Temari smiled warmly. "We are going to see if your friend is looking for you!" She said. Sakura beamed suddenly. "Thank you so much Temari-san! Come on lets go!" She said impatiently. With Sakura prodding them, they soon were at sakuras house in no time at all. Sakura face dropped as she saw her sand yard was empty.

"Im sorry for dragging you here. I thought my friend would be here." She said sadly. "At least let me make it up to you with some tea!" Temari was about to politely decline when Kankuro said. "Yea I'm parched!" and they ended up being carried into sakuras living room as they waited for the tea.

They heard sakuras small girlish hums from the kitchen then suddenly they heard a crash from upstairs. Sakuras pink head poked out from the kitchen and asked in a nervous voice "was that you guys?" They both shook there heads slowly and suddenly a small sob carried from up the stairway. They all froze and then quietly formed a line to travel up the flight of stars. As they climbed up all the stairs a sob came directly from Sakuras bedroom.

She gulped and pushing Temari and Kankuro behind her bravely opened the door a crack. There she saw not the monster she thought she was going to see but her friend. Standing head bent over a shattered glass rose. He was sobbing loudly and his sand swirled about him. Sakura saw as Gaara bent down and picked a piece of the glass up and tried to put in back together with the sand but failed.

Transfixed at watching this sakura did not notice that her squeaky door swung open and only noticed when Gaara's head popped up at her. "S-Sakura-Chan?" he asked his voice almost as watery and sad as his eyes. "I-I-I didn't m-mean too! I looked for you when you didn't come and this fell." He motioned to the glass.

"I w-was just scared something happened to you. S-Sakura-Chan I'm so sorry!" he ran to her and hugged her crying into her pink shirt. Slowly and surprised Sakura wrapped her arms around him. The sand liked this and began to hug sakura as well. Not scary like before but comfortingly against Gaara.

"It's alright Gaa-chan! I over slept next time will you come to get me?" she asked calmly, comfortingly. Gaara pulled away and looked at Sakura in the eye. "S-Sakura-Chan?' sakura nodded in response "I-I love you!" he said looking away from her green orbs. Sakura looked at him surprised. "You do?" Gaara nodded afraid of being rejected.

She smiled "I love you too!" Gaara stammered "y-you do?!" Sakura nodded happily glad they made up. "y-you really do!" Gaara said again like confirming it to himself. He then had the sand that had put her in a hug pick her up. "Gaa-"she started but then ended in a fit of cheerful squeals as Gaara's sand spun her around her bedroom.

Gaara was giggling and smiling feeling as if all the happiness was dumped on him. And it was, in a way, in the three words out of a pair of beautiful pink lips "I love you too!" Sakura did not understand what made Gaara so happy. Her mother and father told them they loved her all the time. As soon as they both got dizzy from twirling, they landed with a "thump" on Sakuras pink twin bed.

After a moment of content silence Sakura said: "I have to clean up that glass before mommy gets home." Gaara shook his red head and said "i'll do it" before his sand picked the glass up and tossed it out the window. "Ummm….Gaara." Sakura said concerned. "That's not very safe is it?" Gaara shrugged and then said "can we play something?" sakuras face lit up at this and said "okay! Gaara have you heard of a tea party?"

"No…" Gaara said cautiously as Sakura led them down stairs. "Then I'll teach you!" she smiled not noticing the missing presence of two long gone Sand Nins.

* * *

Temari and Kankuro hugged each other wide-eyed panting in exhaustion. They had just ran from Sakuras house until they could not run anymore and landed strangely at there uncles house. Temari and Kankuro had witnessed the whole affair and they had watched horrified when Gaara's sand suddenly lifted sakura in the air. They knew what there demon brother was going to do. He was going to kill her.

Oh yes that's how is sadistic mind works! He finds a happy and innocent victim and pretends to be friends with them and when you least suspect it he kills them. He murders them in cold blood. Temari had heard those rumors and had always believed every single word and now she knew it was true.

Gaara was going to kill Sakura! As Temari stood at her uncle's door she had second thoughts 'what if he kills me for telling Yashamaru about this?' But she didn't have time to think because Kankuro yelled "come on he's murdering sakura-Chan!" and busted through the door. Yashamaru looked up surprised from his needle work at Kankuro's sudden entrance. He was sitting in a rocking chair stitching his Suna head band.

"What is in Kankuro?" he asked stunned. "Gaara's gonna kill sakura-Chan. Yashamaru paled remembering Gaara's declaration the night before "it's my best friend Sakura Haruno!" He stood up quickly tying his blue Suna headband around his forehead. "Take me to them! I'll see what I can do" Temari nodded and said "Come on this way!"

**you hear voices in your head saying "review...review!" LISTEN TO THEM FOR ONCE!**

**Please Review...**


	5. The gone

_**xxpatixx:**Thanks! I'm really glad you like it! Well here you are a nice update! sorry i was late..._

_**EternalOctberNight:**Oh! please do add me! I hope you like this chapter! It took me a day to write._

_**poket:** I dont **want** to seperate them but if i didnt there would be no plot :( and lovely reviewers like you wouldnt read!_

_**lydia-chan:** I'm sure you dont **suck** at writing...maybe you just dont like to **write** it... if you know what i mean. anyway heres an update!_

_**mel:** its sad isnt it that gaara isnt loved. maybe sakura will show him how to love!_

_**cute0anime0addict:** Its almost time...She will leave soon...OH NO'S SPOILER!...Dont worry the voices arnt dead...yet!_

_**soccercrazyfreak:** well...I dont know...what will you give **me** if i update? ...Just kidding i update for my fans! no pictures please!_

_**Narutofang91:** sniff its so tragic. poor gaara...all he wants is love!_

_**AlaskenWildflower:** EXTREAMLY big misunderstanding! an even bigger one in this chapter!_

_**super-rat:** I know! i wish i could jump in the story and say "your brother is wonderful!" well ill just have sakura do that for me!_

**_Bethany: you changed your screen name! thats why it took me a long time to find your review! speaking of review... I always love yours! they fill me up with joy and make me smile! :) ...but this chapter does not...:(_**

DISCLAIMER: IF I OWNED NARUTO I WOULD MAKE A LINE OF SAKURA CLOTHING...WHICH I DIDNT CAUSE I DONT OWN IT. :(

**Did you miss me? **

**Chapter 5: the gone!.:**

Sakura looked up at Gaara happily. He had just told her bluntly "Sakura-chan…I hate tea parties." After they had been playing tea party for half an hour.

Sakura grinned up at him and said "Do you have any other ideas what we should do then?" Gaara suddenly beamed. "I know!" he said brightly. "Let's play hides and seek! I've never played that before!" Gaara felt something mumble in his head '**You've never **_**played**_** before**' Gaara brushed that off with a thought of his own 'there's a first time for everything' as Sakura agreed to the game and told Gaara to count.

Gaara had seen this game played by kids all the time. He had just never been allowed to play with them. Gaara had studied the rules intently hoping one day they would ask him to play. That day had never come, but now he was playing with Sakura and that was even better!

."One…two…" Gaara closed his eyes and started counting. He giggled softly when he started to form with his sand a third eye. Sakura didn't know this trick! With his eye he saw sakura sneakily hide herself in a closet. "Thirty!" Gaara finished, opening his real eyes and having his third eye disappear. "Ready or not here I come!"

He decided to have fun with this and tease sakura, pretending he did not know where she was. "Sakura-chan?" he called. "Where are you?" there was a small giggle from the closet sakura was in and Gaara swung open the closet door and engulfed sakura with a hug.

If you tried to tell Gaara two weeks ago that he would have a cute pink-haired friend that would hug him willingly. He would one. Be amazed you weren't running and two. Not believe you. Sakura shrieked in laughter and Gaara twirled her around out of the closet.

Gaara was surprisingly strong for his age and sakura was not that heavy, so he did it with ease. After a while they both got dizzy and they collapsed on the couch. Sakura smiled at Gaara and his heart went pounding.

"Gaa-chan?" she asked. Gaara nodded his head nervous she was going to say something bad. "Can I play with your sand?" She asked him, poking him in the side and watching amused how the sand got annoyed.

Gaara sighed in relief that it wasn't a mean statement and said eagerly "Sure Sakura-chan!" She smiled at him again and began to poke the sand once more. It hovered around her arm refusing to get poked. Sakura giggled as she attempted to chase the sand around the room.

Gaara heard a deep growl in his mind. **'Stop annoying me girl. I was **_**trying**_** to take a nap.'** Gaara sat on the couch confused. What was that? All of a sudden the sand wrapped around sakura. Gaara stood up surprised. He had not done that!

Sakura gasped and then let out a screech of laughter as the sand tickled her. Gaara sighed in relief and sat back down. _**It**_ was just playing too.

Then suddenly it happened! The door swung open off its hinges. Gaara's siblings ran frightened into the house to sakura. Yashamaru entered the house and gasped sharply at sakura covered in sand and yelled at Gaara. "Gaara!" as Temari yelled "I told you so! He's a killer!" Gaara gasped and the sand dropped sakura into the arms of Temari.

"What!?" Sakura protested hotly. "No! We were playing! Gaara-kun! Tell them! We were playing! Gaara loves me! He wouldn't hurt me!!" She struggled to get out of Temari's grip but she held on tight. Sakura was confused. Why were Temari and Kankuro here? Who was that blond-haired guy? Why wouldn't they let her go!

Gaara gaped at Yashamaru. "We were playing. Yashamaru the sand tickled her." Gaara explained desperately. "Nothing bad! I wouldn't hurt Sakura-chan! Ever!" Yashamaru narrowed his eyes at Gaara. Gaara widened his. Why was Yashamaru being so mean?

He loved Gaara! He said so! He would understand how Gaara felt for sakura. Then as Yashamaru's eyes went into glaring, Gaara had a horrible realization. "Y-y-you! You hate me!" he cried wide eyed at Yashamaru. "Like everyone else! You hate me! Despise me! Are afraid of me!"

he took a step back. "No…" "Yes Gaara!" Yashamaru corrected. "I lied to you! I do hate you! I want you dead! Which you soon will be!" he yelled charging Gaara.

Gaara stepped back and covered his face with his hands. "Gaara!" sakura screamed as Yashamaru was an inch away from him with a sharpened kunai. Gaara closed his eyes waiting for the pain. Gaara felt nothing but he heard a sickening "splosh" and something wet landed on Gaara's shirt. Hesitantly Gaara opened one eye and fell back horrified when he did.

Yashamaru was dead. With a piece of sand as sharp as a dagger into his heart. A foot away from Gaara. Gaara wheezed, wide eyed and slowly looked towards sakura. "S-S-Sakura-c-chan?" he asked desperately. She was staring shocked at Yashamaru's dead body, dripping with new blood. Suddenly Temari screamed "you monster! You killed him! I always knew-" Temari was cut off with a slap.

She gasped and looked at the person guilty. Sakura. "S-Sakura-san?" she asked breathlessly. "D-Did you even see what happened!" Sakura yelled bravely at her with tears in her eyes. "Gaara-kun was almost killed by him! Gaara didn't even do it! He just stood there! If you would look with your eyes and not with your ears to the gossip you would know that is true! And that Gaara is wonderful!" Sakura stood there winded after her speech as Temari just stood there gaping.

She did not know what to say. Her uncle was just killed by her demon brother who her friend of yesterday was protecting. Gaara was shocked. Truly shocked. Sakura thought he was wonderful and protected him? He would think he was dreaming but he couldn't sleep and the blood on the floor reminded him it was a nightmare.

Then suddenly the door was kicked open again and Mrs.Haruno and Mr.Haruno ran in. "I heard the messi" Sakura's father stopped speaking immediately as soon as he saw Yashamaru. His medical instincts picked in and he rushed to Yashamaru's side and checked his pulse. There was none. He stood still for a moment then n noticed Gaara.

He backed away a step and yelled for his wife who was over by Temari and sakura hugging Sakura. Sakuras mother noticed Gaara too and she stopped. "Oh my god…" she said, clutching her chest. "Sakura you could have been killed! He's a demon! Look what he did!"

Sakura felt tears well up in her eyes. She could slap Temari but not her own mother. Sakura also couldn't believe what her mother was saying either. She was the one who always said "Don't listen to gossip!" or "Don't judge a kunai by its carrying case!"

What was so wrong about Gaara? What did he do? Why did people hate him?

Sakura was so confused. Gaara was wonderful…wasn't he?

"Mommy? No you have it wrong! Gaara didn't do" Sakura was interrupted by a bitter "Don't argue with your mother! She's always right!" from her father. "No! Daddy your wron-" "No honey he is Right! This boy is a demon! A monster! a devil! He kills for fun!" interrupted her mother!

"No!" Sakura yelled "it's not true!" Sakura's father walked over to Sakura and hit a point on her neck. Sakura stopped moving. Her mother looked at him worried and he said "it prevents her from struggling! We are moving! Now!" "No!" sakura yelled trying to move her body. "Gaara-kun! I love you! I won't forget you!"

Gaara all of a sudden snapped from the sort of daze he was in since he killed Yashamaru and looked at sakura wide-eyed. "No!" he screamed clutching his head. Sand was starting to enter the house. "Gaara!" Sakura sobbed. As her parents looked at each other worried.

What had there daughter done? Why had she made friends with a demon? With there other exits blocked by sand Sakuras parents rushed up to Sakura's old room and jumped out the window. Sakuras mother went first with her father last. Sakura in her father's arms struggled to get a glimpse of Gaara one last time as they passed through the window.

Her strugglings were successful and allowed her to turn her head. When she turned it however at her fathers speed through the window and her position she knocked her head against the window pane and everything went into a calm and blissful, unemotional black.

**You are in a desert... you are dieing of thirst! (lol Yashamaru died in this chapter) That blue button is water! now push it to drink!**

**Please Review...**


	6. The Memory

**_Twilighter88:_** _Ha! I hated him too!_

**_Nyanonymous:_** _Ill try...Thanks for the review!_

**_mel:_** _Well Gaara's life is sad, I just hope it means the rest of his life will be happy_

**_gaaras4ever:_** _Thanks! I'm glad you like it!_

**_soccercrazyfreak:_** _You LOVE it! OMG i'm like wow...You actually LOVE it!_

**_Narutofang91:_** _I'm heartbroke too! I hope no one else leaves him!_

_**cagemydreamsbeforetheyrelost:**_ _I like your name! anyway to answer your question: Remember the bump on the head? She got a concussion cuz of it. It will explain in this chapter._

_**xxpatixx:** Thanks Ana! (I read your profile) I'm really glad you like it!_

_**lydia-chan:** YAY You got it! I had tons of people saying "How did she forget him" You finally got it!_

_**AKAMrKitty:** Cool! I actually was going to make Temari good and Sakura's best friend again. It will just be a while a way. Temari needs to be hateing her brother before she likes him. Just continue to read. _

_**cute0anime0addict:**I'm, sorry! bows I just needed reviews! I wont use the desert one again!_

_**AlaskenWildflower:** I hate him too! I'm glad I killed him!_

_**FoxFlyer:** POOR FOX! No hitting on the review page! Bad...Bad...Ummm bye!_

_**xXxyellow-rose-violinistxXx:** They will meet soon! soon!_

_**super-rat:** Me too! I hated him!_

_**Bethany: You changed AGAIN!...Anyway I'm not dead! I just had all these exams to do! :( But I think I did okay on them...I hope! P.S i can imagine that too! They would be all like 0.0 lol!  
**_

DISCAIMER: If you think a blue-eyed little girl owns Naruto you have more problums then my brother!

**Did you miss me? **

**Chapter 6: the Memorie!.:**

"_What is that?" asked a voice behind sakura. Sakura jerked in surprise at the sudden voice but immediately relaxed noticing who it was._

_"A paper crane" she said continuing to fold the bright green paper she was using. The boy behind her tilted his red head in confusion. "What is that? I've never made one." _

_Sakura gasped. "Really Gaa-chan? Even not at the fair?" He shook his head, bangs hanging over his eyes. Sakura smiled gently. "Well then I'll teach you!" the six-year old behind her jolted his head up at this._

"_You will!" Sakura nodded, grinning. She took his hand in hers and placed a piece of square pink paper in it. "Now fold it into a triangle Gaa-chan…" _

Slowly Sakura opened her eyes. It was a dream. Just a dream. Now who the heck was Gaa-chan? Sakura leisurely stretched her muscles and got off her bed.

Sakura dug through her brain. She did not know a "Gaa-Chan" she also didn't know anyone whose name started with a Gaa. Sakura thought with all her might at all the people she knew in her life: Ino, Choji, Neji, Hinata, Tenten, Shikamaru, Lee, Kakashi, Naruto, Sasuke….

Sakura trailed off when she got to Sasuke. A blush spread on her cheeks as she thought of her cute teammate. She wondered if he was thinking of her. **Probably not… **said a voice inside her head.

Sakura shook that off and thought '_he's probably thinking of the chunnin exams not wasting any time not training' _**Keep telling yourself that… **Sakura growled_oh shut it! I'm trying to solve a mystery! _

Sakura continued to think into the "Gaa-chan dream" '_ok…He might have been from childhood, I had moved a lot before Dad got a stable job in the hospitals here in Konoha._' Sakura thought, concentrated on all the villages she had ever lived in.

'Cloud, Mountain, Star, Mist, Wind, Stone….and here in leaf, Konoha'. Suddenly sakura got a split headache. There was something missing…in the interval between stone and leaf!

What was it! When sakura thought about it all she could get was a picture of a pink bedroom, stairs, a windowpane, and a sharp sting in her head. Then there was a boy!…red-haired!….small!…Gaa-."Sakura!" Sakura's thoughts were jerked out of her odd mental memories and back to her pink bedroom.

"Sakura!" said the voice again. Sakura groaned. It was her mother. "Sakura you will leave without breakfast if you don't hurry up!" Sakura gasped. She forgot about training. She hurried at getting out of her pink night gown into her usual Training outfit.

Sakura ran a comb through her naturally pink hair and walked out of her room. She met her mother in the kitchen and sat at the table. Her mother had made her favorite rice cakes for breakfast.

Sakura smiled at her mother and took a large bite from her plate. Soon she was done and thanked her mother before she hoped out the house. "Be safe!" her mother yelled out from the doorway like she always did when Sakura left for training.

"I will!" was Sakura's very common reply. Sakura's mother sighed. She should never had allowed Sakura into ninja school but she hadn't thought Sakura would actually **make** it!

Oh! But Sakura was so depressed and she kept begging. _"Please Mommy! I'll be strong!" _Sakura's mother narrowed her eyes. It was after the Suna incident. Sakura couldn't remember a thing due to a concussion she got on her head from the windowpane.

_'Ha! I had always hated that windowpane, but I guess I should be thankful for it! Without the concussion we would have had to swipe her memory ourselves'_

* * *

Sakura arrived a little later then Sasuke did at the bridge. She walked up to him with a smile on her face and greeted him with a "Good morning Sasuke-kun!" He glanced at her for a second then said "you're later then usual." Sakura scratched her head and said "I woke up a bit late."

Sasuke leaned against the railings and looked at sakura once more, who was scratching her head. "You look just like Naruto when you do that." Sakura blushed and lowered her hand "Sorry" she said. **How could he say that?! We are far cuter then Naruto!** _He really doesn't care at all does he?_ **Nope! That spoiled brat!**

There was an awkward silence between sakura and sasuke then Naruto showed up and there was no silence. "Sakura-chan! Good morning! How are you! Did you sleep well? What did you eat for breakfast? I ate ramen! It was beef flavored! Not very good for morning food….." Naruto continued his ramblings and sakura had tuned him out at "good".

Instead sakura started to keep an eye out for Kakashi, who was always 3 hours late. Team 7 had gotten a habit of showing up a half an hour before Kakashi so they wouldn't have to wait for him to finally show. "Yo" suddenly Kakashi popped out from behind Naruto.

Naruto jumped and stopped his ramblings about nonsense. "Kakashi-sensei your late!" Kakashi scratched the back of his head and said. "Umm I helped an old lady?"

_Ha! Now sasuke has to say Kakashi looks like Naruto!_ Sakura turned her head sideways and tried to picture Naruto's head on Kakashi's body. **Eww! Doesn't work at all! **

Naruto pouted and looked away from Kakashi. Sakura laughed at his childish antics. "So Kakashi-sensei?" Naruto asked, trying to sound cool. "When are the chunnin exams?" Kakashi eyed his attempt to lean causally against the bridge railings and replied "The 7th"

Naruto spluttered and leaned back to far and he fell of the bridge. He began to descend down into the water. "T-t-t-the 7-7th?!" He yelled before his head went under. Sakura gasped and even Sasuke looked surprised. "That's only a week from now" Sasuke pointed out calmly.

"Yes…" Kakashi said seriously. "And Sasuke, you need a special type of training, I will train you personally" Sasuke looked unfazed and simply nodded. "What!" Naruto yelled climbing onto the river bank and shaking himself off. "I deserve special training not that Tema!"

Sakura tuned their arguing out. It didn't matter to her anymore. She wasn't a part of this disagreement about **special **training. **No!** No one would like to train sakura. She wasn't a boy, or an Uchiha, she was just a…Haruno. Nothing special. Just a girl. **Just a girl…** Sakura sighed and began to walk away from the training grounds.

They didn't need her right now. As she was walking she gradually began to hear little yells behind her. It was Naruto. "Sakura-chan!" he yelled. "Sakura-chan! Wait up!" reluctantly Sakura stopped and turned to face Naruto. He was standing there trying to catch his breath after running so hard to keep up with her.

"I thought you were arguing about the training." Sakura said in monotone Naruto shook his head and pouted. "It was no use…they poofed off as soon as I got on the bridge." Sakura nodded sympathetically Naruto shook his undomesticated hair out of his eyes and looked up at sakura purposeful

"I wanted to know if you would like to get rame-"Naruto was interrupted by a little voice yelling "Naruto!" Sakura looked behind Naruto to see three young ninjas run up to them. There was a girl, with long red hair pulled up into a cone shape. she was on the right side.

There was a boy, with goggles on and his nose was dripping. **Does he have a cold eww**! _You're so immature _**Hey! I know your thinking the same thing as me!** The boy with the cold was on the left side. "You said you would play ninja with us!" said the middle of the three.

It was a boy with dark brown hair that reminded Sakura of Naruto's style. Sakura recognized the middle boy as Konohamaru, the Hokage's grandson.

"Yea" agreed the other two to what the Konohamaru had said. Sakura shook her head. That was pathetic. A ninja playing ninja! Might as well not even be a ninja at all. Sakura vaguely heard the conversation after that. Something about a girlfriend. Sakura sighed and started to walk away from Naruto and his chibi's.

She closed her eyes enjoying the small breeze when Naruto yelled "Sakura-chan! Watch out" and Sakura bumped into something hard and breathing. "Oomph" Sakura said as she fell onto the ground. **Owwie that hurt!** Something silver also fell and it landed in her lap.

It was a headband and when Sakura turned it over she could see engraved on it was the sand village's symbol. An hourglass. **Sand…that's strange. Why are they here? **Slowly, Sakura looked up to see what she had run into. Or more importantly…**Who** she had run into.

**You are getting hungry! Look! A huge ice cream cake! To get it click "go!" which means you will "go" to the cake!**

**Please Review...**


	7. The First Meeting

_**soccercrazyfreak:** I'm glad you like my story! Are you glad I like your reviews?_

_**alana124pyro:** THANKS! :) But I think If you called MY story half-a--ed I'd have to kick you lol_

_**elementcontroler:** Here you go! :) watch on the language though, I'm only 12...though i have a bad word in this chap! lol_

**_xXxyellow-rose-violinistxXx_:** _Not quite yet..._

**_cute0anime0addict:_** _Here! now you can get exited again! :)_

**_Twilighter88:_** _Ha! Dont you just love cliffs!_

**_WolfAngel-Kaiasa:_** _Dont cry! -panic- Here! Here's an update!_

**_mel_:** _oh? Happy birthday! :) here's an update!_

**_overlordofnobodies:_** _:) Thanks Andy! I like that you enjoy reading this. I'm always up for comments cause im only 12._

_**super-rat**: :) heheheh!_

_**RavenofNevermore**: Ha of course you'll get a peice! -Hands over a slice of cake- here! :)_

_**Narutofang91:** Thank you! te he!_

_**HaosAnjul:** hmmm... I dont know...:)_

_**lydia-chan:** To make chapters last longer.READ SLOWER... hehehehe! :)_

_**moon23:** Thanks! Yea Gaara's life is a sad story...but thats why we love him!_

_**Foxflyer:** Bad fox! logging in is a part of a natural heathy brecktfast!...sure it is..._

_**xxpatixx:** okay okay! heres a bright and happy update! _

_**cagemydreamsbeforetheyrelost:** Yea it's really fun to make them!_

**Bethany: Ha! you remebered I have a puppy! well dont worry about the test! tests are just stuiped things grownups make so thay can put a chip in our mind to make us be like them! ...it's true!...Anyway! I wount be spending much time outside cause i'll be at my acting and singing camp. I'm going to be a broadway star when I grow up! anyway bye! -Jessica**

DISCLAIMER: iF I OWNED NARUTO MY MOM WOULDNT SAY "GET OFF THE COMPUTER" WHEN I'M UPDATEING CHAPTERS AT 11:30.

**Did you miss me? **

**Chapter 7: The first meeting.:**

Gaara sighed as he stared at the Suna night sky. Gaara and his siblings were leaving for Konoha tomorrow. They were going to take the chunnin exams there. He shook his head. He couldn't understand why they wouldn't declare him a chunnin right then and there ad let him skip the pointless exams.

It was all for weaklings' anyway…pathetic weaklings who wanted to pretend to be strong and fight other pathetic weaklings. But, no. Suna had involved Gaara in a plan with sound. Suna and Sound were going to ambush Konoha at the last part of the exams and they wanted Gaara to be the main attraction.

Gaara growled inwardly. He was no circus performer and if they wanted Konoha gone they could do it themselves, but Shakaku was dieing for some blood so Gaara agreed. (Not that they asked him).

Gaara was indifferent about the whole plan. So what if Suna was betraying their allies. Gaara didn't feel sorry for Konoha, they should know better then to have allies, it's meaningless. Everyone betrays everyone eventually. Everyone, but Sakura…

Sakura would never betray him. _'No…She loves me…She said so' _

Gaara's heart thumped when he thought of Sakura. He wondered where she was now, after her _**parent's**_ took her away from him. _'If I ever see her parents again I will kill them'_

But Gaara knew that was not true. If he ever saw Sakura's parents again he would demand to know where Sakura was and then…maybe he would kill them.

_'No'_ Gaara thought again _'I would definitely kill them' _as he played what happened over and over in his head. As the years went on, and people became colder and colder to him,

Gaara thought of Sakura more and more. She was like a lamp in the darkest of night. Even if she was far away. Maybe even miles and miles away. He could still faintly see the light. _'My light…' _

Her act of kindness, her love, her friendship, was what made Gaara keep living, that and killing others for his existence. _'What a nice combination'_ he thought oddly.

Suddenly Gaara realized that the sun was rising. _'Its morning already…we'll be heading out soon' _And almost as if he had read his mind Gaara felt Baki step out from behind him.

Baki looked nervous so Gaara nodded his head, giving him permission to speak. "Gaara, we are leaving" he said firmly, hiding his fright like always. Gaara stood up silently and turned to Baki.

Who was afraid he had done something wrong to make Gaara turn on him. But when Gaara did nothing but stand there he understood he was waiting for Baki to lead him off the roof. Baki bounded off the roof and twisted his head back to look at Gaara, who he was horror-struck to see him gone.

"Gaara!" Baki yelled in search of him. Suddenly Gaara walked out of the house. Baki sighed in relief as he saw Gaara had only gotten his backpack containing his clothes and other necessities.

"What?" Gaara inquired uninterested. Baki realized since he called Gaara's name Gaara thought he wanted something "go get Temari and Kankuro" Baki improvised. Gaara nodded, impassive and walked back into the house. Baki let out his breath.

Damn Gaara scared him.

* * *

'_Hmm' _Gaara thought. _'So this is Konoha, I don't see the big deal of it'._ Gaara was currently striding through the streets of Konoha. He had long since put his bag in the inn they were residing at and was now exploring the city. If you could call it a city. It was more like an undersized town with a large rock in the middle of it with some people's faces on it.

The streets were crowded and full of screaming children and wailing babies. To put it, Gaara did not like it one bit. But he did not know that he had wandered into the shopping district, which was having a small children's fair that day.

Gaara eventually got himself out of that atrocious place and was strolling on a more quiet, serene path. There were lots of trees around him and a small gentle breeze was flowing through his tresses. This was pleasant. Not like those congested streets, but something simple, calm.

Gaara knew sakura would love this place. He could tell the moment he saw her that she would be the person to run through a field of flowers or to read by a Cherry blossom tree.

If Gaara ever saw Sakura again, which he probably would not, he would take her to this area in Konoha. _'She might even like the crowded places; yes I would show her Konoha.'_ Gaara thought as he passed a cherry blossom tree.

'Oh, where are you now Sakura-chan?' Gaara asked himself longingly as he picked off a cherry blossom petal. _'I would slaughter the whole village of sand, even the children, to know where you are…' _

* * *

Before sakura could look up, a hand reached out and grabbed her by her collar, hoisting her by her neck. "Sakura!" she could hear Naruto scream from behind her. "Let her go!"

He yelled. Sakura struggled to get out of her captors hold. "You little pipsqueak!" said a mans voice. It was an odd voice, like she had heard it before, but she couldn't remember where…

"You had better apologize to me right now or-"Kankuro!" interrupted a female's voice. That voice was also familiar from somewhere. Suddenly the hold on Sakura's neck disappeared and she was dropped unceremoniously on the dirt floor.

"S-Sakura-san?" asked the females voice. Sakura looked up at who had spoken and saw it was a blond haired ninja. She wore her hair in four ponytails to the side and was carrying something large and folded. Sakura looked over to her left at the person who had been holding her.

It was a man. He was wearing a black jumpsuit with odd purple face paint on his facade His hair was covered by a black hat with the fabric pointing up like cat ears.

"Do I know you?" Sakura inquired, rubbing her sore neck. "And why did you jump me simply cause I bumped into you?!" She asked the man, now furious at him. The man had an odd look on his face. It was of fear and of relief. Also she could see surprise on his face as well.

Sakura looked at the female who seemed as if she was going to cry. **'Okay…umm creepy?' **"S-Sakura-san!" the girl said again. "I thought you were dead! I thought _**he**_ killed you!" The woman shuttered at her thought and stepped forward as if wanting a hug.

Sakura stood up slowly and stepped back. "I'll ask again…do I know you?" Sakura repeated fearfully. The girl looked surprised. "You don't rememb-"the girl started but stopped as a look of recognition passed on her face. She turned to the man and began to whisper to him franticly.

Sakura could only catch clips of what they said. "Kankuro! Didn't he kill her on that frenzy?! Yes it was only a rumor but…." And "she…memory loss…swipe…after _that_".

'_Memory loss? After that? What did this girl mean? First she's saying weird stuff like I should know her and now she's whispering to this guy who has some serious anger issues!_ 'Sakura glanced behind her, away from the sand ninja's., at Naruto and his cluster.

Naruto was looking at the sand ninja's curiously and at the man in resentment. 'Probably from when he grabbed my neck' Sakura thought rubbing her collar bone. **Ouch! That hurt! Gee Sakura…You should be the one seething at him not Naruto! Though it's a kind gesture… '**_You know, I don't think looking at someone in loathing is a kind gesture' _**Man your weird!...**

Sakura shook that off and instead stared curiously when the two sand ninja's stopped whispering and turned to face Sakura. The man looked embarrassed for a moment then the blond woman hit him. The man cleared his throat and uncomfortably said "I apologize for my rudeness…"

The blond ninja nodded and said "I merely thought you were someone I …kno-…someone I knew. I ask for forgiveness as well."

The three stood there awkwardly for a few seconds then the blond ninja grabbed the mans jumpsuit lapel and pulled him far away, disappearing into the busy streets of the market. "Well…that was weird!" Naruto said cheerfully as he walked up to Sakura.

"Very" Sakura mumbled to her self, as she began to walk in the direction of her house. "Say Sakura about the ramen?" Naruto asked, following her moves.

"But boss! You said you would play with us!" whined Konohamaru. Naruto moaned and began to argue with him. Sakura took this time to slip away to her neighbor hood. She had a lot of thinking to do. **Ugh! More mysteries!**

**You are an astronott! Your rockets taking off. Your not in it! OH NO! Quick hit "go" to the rocket before it leaves you here on the moon. **

**Please Review...**


	8. The Second Meeting

**_xXxyellow-rose-violinistxXx_:** _dont worry about it! :) just continue reading ;)_

_**kodie:** Ha! I'm glad you like them! There really fun to make!_

_**cute0anime0addict:** I'm sorry for trying to leave you on the moon. It wasnt that short of a chapter was it? It had 1854 words_

_**xxpatixx:** Yea, a lot of people thought it was Gaara, but all I did was switch the roles of konohamaru and Sakura around._

**_Twilighter88:_** _hehehe alot of people cant wait for there meeting!_

**_Narutofang91:_** wait no longer! AN UPDATE!!

_**soccercrazyfreak**: Okay! heres an update! I think you will be **Very** pleased! ;)_

_**HaosAnjul:** Dont worry about it Ami! They will meet..._

_**Mikomi-chan:** :) I'm really glad you think so!_

_**AKAMrKitty:** Dont worry! I think it would kill **me** if I had her betray him!_

_**the-black-rose-is-mine-alone07:** Yep! It's pretty fun being an author Jasmine! (i read your profile!)_

_**Bethany: my puppy is pretty cute...anyway i got your email thing responding to my review...hehehe I like it! I guess tests are importent...but they dont make a really big deal of it in Florida.(where I live). Keep reviewing! thanks! jessica! p.s i think youll be very pleased!**_

DISCLAMER: IF I OWNED NARUTO, LITTLE KINDERGARDENERS WOULD JUMP ME AT WALLMART!

**HOW DO YOU GET A BETA READER? CAN SOMEONE TELL ME PLEASE?**

**Did you miss me? **

**Chapter 8: The second meeting.:**

"Kankuro!" Temari yelled, interrupting her younger brother. _'How could I not see, it's Sakura!'_ she thought, taken aback. "S-Sakura-san?" she asked, wide-eyed. Temari was about to cry.

She was sure that Gaara had killed her in the frenzy. She was sure that Gaara had ended her life when he transformed. '_Into __**it**__'_ A sad smile formed on her lips. She had grown much bigger. What happened to the shy girl questioning her friend's disappearance and asking them in for tea?

Suddenly Sakura spoke. "Do I know you?" she asked, to the point. "And why did you jump me simply cause I bumped into you?!" She yelled, at Kankuro's surprised figure. Temari was flabbergasted at the courage coming from her words. _'Everyone grows up_ _Temari!'_ Temari thought _'you should know! You grew up faster then everybody here' _

S-Sakura-san!" Temari said again. She couldn't grasp the concept that Sakura was here! Not dead! She and Kankuro even had a little funeral in sand for her.

It was just the two of them, Temari and Kankuro, and they buried Sakura's toy doll they found in her abandoned room. Maybe she and Kankuro shouldn't have been so suspecting, but they were little then. '_Even myself, who I thought I was so mature back then.' _

I thought you were dead!" Temari explained. "I thought _**he**_ killed you!" Temari shuddered at the thought of Gaara's demon, _'Shakaku' _what a unpleasant and contemptible word!

Temari stepped forward unconsciously. She just wanted to hug her old friend and cry into her shoulder. _'Ha! I had met her for a day, back then, and she has this much impact on me seven years from then._' Temari remembered their little discussion about friendship.

_"Think if your friend has any favorite food stands like restaurants?" Sakura thought for a moment then shook her head. "Places?" Another head shake. "Hangouts?" "Nope!" "Games?" "No" _

_"Does your friend like anything?" Temari finally boomed impatiently. __Sakura close to tears said "I-I met my best friend yesterday!" Temari looked bemused. "You met this person yesterday and there already your best friend?" Sakura nodded severely "we had so much fun together." _

'_We had so much fun together' _Temari thought.'She was so mature back then and I didn't notice, those are words from a truly intellectual and compassionate person.' "I'll ask again…do I know you?" Sakura repeated the question. _'What?'_ Temari thought confused. "You don't rememb-"she started to say but suddenly it hit her.

She had her memory erased. Temari turned to Kankuro and began to whisper to him. "Kankuro! Didn't he kill her on that frenzy?! Yes it was only a rumor but you know how I believe those. She has grown up so much hasn't she?"

Kankuro nodded and whispered to her "why doest she remember us? I regret I didn't know her when I first saw her or else I wouldn't have picked her up so…hard."

"You meant roughly, don't you?" Kankuro nodded, tired of when his sister corrected him. "Well… I think she doesn't remember us because her memory was lost." Temari explained.

"You mean like it was…swiped?" Kankuro asked. Temari nodded. "I don't think we should ruin Sakura-sans life by telling her she was almost killed by a demon, so apologize, and I'll say I don't know her, agreed?"

Kankuro nodded and they both turned to face the Konoha ninja's. Kankuro didn't speak. 'He's ruining the plan!' Temari thought, elbowing him. Kankuro realized he wasn't doing anything and cleared his throat.

Heuncomfortably said "I apologize for my rudeness…" and Temari nodded. She said "I merely thought you were someone I …kno-"Temari cut herself off. This Sakura wasn't anyone she was acquainted with now." someone I knew. I ask for forgiveness as well." Temari finished.

There were a few moments of uncomfortable silence. Where Temari was afraid to say something and Kankuro was embarrassed from apologizing.

Feeling as if there was no other way out Temari grabbed Kankuro's jumpsuit and ran in the first direction she saw. It was right into a busy children's fair. _'Oh god!'_ Kankuro thought. _'I hate kids'_ that was only partially true. He had thought Sakura was a pretty cool kid.

* * *

Temari sat alone in their inn's living room. She was quietly sipping green tea and pondering about her old friend. _'So she's a ninja? I never would have thought Sakura-san to be the ninja type.'_ Temari thought. '_But, I had also thought she was dead, so it shows how much I know!' _

Temari took another sip and placed her tea cup inaudibly on the coffee table in front of her floor cushion. '_I am glad Gaara did not kill her, I finely feel as if something that was on my chest is gone, if only for a small while.'_ Temari picked up her cup again. '_Sakura is so young, and free without the burdens i have. Sakura's village isn't betraying their allies'_

Temari gasped. Her eyes widened and her cup slipped from her grasp. _''Konoha is Sakura's village now!'_ The cup slowly fell to the tiled floor and Temari simply watched.

Suddenly a human hand reached out a caught the cup before it hit the ground. Temari looked up to see Kankuro bent over the table, cup in hand.

"You have to be more careful. Temari!" he said placing the cup on the table. Temari was impressed that not one drop spilled, but then she realized what had made her drop the cup in the first place.

"Kankuro!" she remembered, concerned. "If we help ambush Konoha, that will mean Sakura and her family will die!" Kankuro's skin went pale.

"Well…" he finely said. "What can we do about it? She may have been our friend seven years ago but she isn't now! And we are sand ninja. We are loyal only to our village! While Sakura is loyal to only hers, Konoha!"

Temari grabbed her head, frustrated. "But what our village is doing isn't right! We're their allies! Their friends!" Kankuro bent his head in shame.

"I repeat" he said softly. "What can we do about it? Gaara's the killer in this, not us. If we back out, Gaara will kill everyone anyway and we will be executed for treason."

Temari sat still. "You know?" she asked. "I wish I never became a ninja, I wish I never picked a job involving killing and murdering for pay. I wish father would be ingenuous and sincere. I wish we didn't have to do this chunnin exam! I wish I never met a sweet and innocent Sakura. I wish she never became a ninja as well!"

Temari lowered her head and two silver tears dripped down her cheeks. "I do too…" Kankuro said softly, hugging his sister. And they cried, for the first time in seven years, and for the same reason. Sakura.

* * *

Sakura sighed for the umpteenth time that night. She was struggling to go to sleep but her confusion from today wasn't helping. 'Who are those people?' the thought swam through her head like sharks on frenzy and those sharks weren't stopping anytime soon.

'_I need to get some air'_ Sakura thought as she pushed out of her bed quilts and onto her fluffy carpet. Sakura walked over to her broad window and pressed it open, silently. A gush of air entered the room. Sakura wrapped her arms around her night gown. It was cold.

She grabbed a small shawl from her wardrobe and draped it around her form, lightly. _'That was better'_ she thought as without a word she slipped out of her cozy bedroom through the open window.

_'Maybe I'll just sit here for a while…until I start to get drowsy'_ Sakura thought as she leaned against her roof tiles. Sakura usually liked to watch the stars from this position. That was why Sakura chose her room. It had such a nice view.

Sakura snuggled into her shawl more tightly as a gust of wind blew over her. _'It's also so comfy…'_ Sakura thought, sleepily. She closed her eyes, little by little until it was closed all the way.

Sakura sighed. _'I should fall asleep like this all the time'_ Suddenly Sakura felt a presence above her. She jerked her eyes open and gasped at what she saw: wide-eyed jade orbs looking into her face attentively.

The orbs belonged to a man…no a boy. He wasn't quite a man yet. And the boy had flaming red hair, and a sand headband hung loosely from his right hip. He was wearing a black outfit with a white sash wrapped freely around his body. He also had a gourd on his back. It was tan and looked as if it was made out of a rough material.

All of a sudden a gust of air blew at the boy's face revealing on his left side a red tattoo on his forehead. Sakura read the tattoo. It said "_**love**_". Sakura's eyes jerked back down to his, confused why a sand ninja was here. Was he a comrade with the other ninjas she saw today?

The boy didn't move. He was stuck in an almost trancelike stage. Sakura felt uncomfortable as he stared at her intently, studying her every move.

Then, with rough hands, he cautiously touched her face, memorizing every detail. "S-Sakura-chan?" he asked, as his hands moved off her face.

His voice there was a child's voice. It was filled with hurt and pain…and hope. Sakura nodded slowly. "But do I kno-"Sakura stopped. In the boys eyes were suddenly a horrible sadness. Then everything clicked. "Gaa-chan?"

**Your in the park playing soccer. Suddenly time stops! To make it start again press "go!" time go!**

**Please Review...**


	9. The dream?

**I'm so sorry I was late!! I nwent to my grandmas house for a week and she has no internet service! I wrote this chapter a week ago. enjoy! ...So many reviews! :) but I cant reply to all of them! But they were mostly all the same so...Read!**

DISCLAIMER: I OWN NARUTO!! -Sigh- IN MY DREAMS.

**Did you miss me? **

**Chapter 9: The dream?.:**

Gaara was perched on the roof of the hotel his team was staying in. There was a slight breeze and Gaara's hair would wave faintly. He knew it was showing his tattoo on his forehead, but he didn't care.

Gaara vaguely remembered how he got the tattoo because there was a gap in his memories. It was right after Sakura left when Gaara's demon went into a rage. Gaara transformed into Shukaku and he killed hundreds of villagers in pure frenzy. The way Gaara ended up being restrained was through the _**kettle**_.

Gaara, still in Shukaku's form, was trapped into a giant sand proof room. He was faced with a bronze tea kettle and the most horrible pain imaginable. It felt as if his soul was being sucked out of him completely.

The pain caused him to transfer back into Gaara's six-year old body again. But the village didn't stop there, No, they wanted to kill Gaara and the kazekage would have agreed, but they still needed Gaara as there "ultimate weapon". The kazekage, Gaara's own father, himself gave Gaara 100 lashes with a whip.

Gaara was six and they lashed his body till it was battered and broken and bloody. It was then Gaara lived solely on Sakuras kindness and others deaths.

In his own forehead Gaara carved with his sand "love". As a reminder of Sakura, who said "I love you too!" and "Gaara-kun! I love you! I won't forget you!" A reminder that someone did care for him. Someone did love him. _'This monster'_ Gaara sighed and let the wind caress his face.

Suddenly, a noise came from behind him. _'Probably another assassination attempt…'_ Gaara thought with slight bloodlust but then stopped. What was that lovely scent? It smelled of cherries and of strawberry cream. It was also so familiar… Gaara heard, with his heightened hearing, a window being slid open and a figure stepping out.

He then heard a lot of movement and then the figure settled in a spot on the roof. The figure sighed quietly and Gaara could hear the sounds of sleep only after a few moments.

The smell of the strawberries and cherries reached his noise again on a small breeze and it drove Shukaku crazy. **It's her! Go see her!** He screamed wildly. Gaara held him head against his screaming and stood up. What did he mean "her"? Was it a female demon acquaintance of Shukaku?

Gaara slowly walked to where his ears heard the sounds of sleep. It was not that far away. Maybe only twenty yards at most but it was covered by a slight hangover of the building. Gaara stopped walking. He could see what was the source of the delicious smell and peaceful snores.

It was a girl. It was a pink haired girl. It was a beautiful pink haired girl. It was his Sakura. _'S-Sakura…'_ Gaara thought wide-eyed, unconsciously touching his tattoo. _'She's here…'_' As quick as lightning Gaara appeared at Sakura's sleeping form. He kneeled down to be face to face with her and studied her appearance.

She had grown…there was no doubt about that, but her face had almost stayed the same. It was just a little more lady like and her features were a tiny bit more sculpted, unlike a young child's round face.

Gaara counted the years since he had last saw her and he counted seven. '_She was five, so she is now 12 years old.' _Suddenly Sakuras eyes jerked open, and he was staring into her emerald orbs.

He felt his heart flutter if only a little bit at Sakura looking into his face. With her eyes it completed the picture and now Gaara was 130 percent sure this was his Sakura. Gaara could see her eyes looking at him curiously and almost carefully. Did she not remember?

Slowly Gaara moved his hands up and touched her face gently. Her skin was so soft… were all females faces soft or just Sakuras face? He didn't know. Sakuras face…Sakura. He could not believe Sakura was here! Sakura Haruno…and she was so beautiful!

Cautiously, Gaara removed his hands from her face. He did not deserve to touch this angel. "S-Sakura-chan?" Gaara asked carefully. Sakura nodded slowly, as though confirming the name was hers. "But do I kno-"Gaaras heart dropped. She did not remember him.

This was far worse torture then the _**kettle **_and all the lashings. If she did not remember him he felt as if his soul was being pulled out and worse. Suddenly Sakura stopped speaking. A look of recognition filled her and she asked slowly "Gaa-chan?"

* * *

Sakura realized that this was the boy from her dreams. The boy that asked her what a paper crane was and she helped him make one. Suddenly some memories hit her brain like that time Naruto ran into a brick wall. Hard.

She was in a park….There was few trees and lots of sand…sand…The red head boy could control sand…A soccer ball…A hug…Lots of confusion…blond haired girl…brown haired boy…A pink room…shattered glass and hide and seek…A scary man…blond haired man with a knife…blood…death…Pain inside of her head…Darkness.

Sakura gasped. There was a sudden pain in her head. It felt as if it were shattering and being put back together. Sakura held her head in her hands. It hurt…so much! Sakura could feel herself fall into the red haired boys arms.

_'No…not red haired boys…Gaara's!'_ Gaara's arms, that were warm and comforting. Gaara's arms that were so familiar yet so far away. She could remember something important…he loved her. Gaara loved her! Sakura without thinking mumbled "I love you too…" and lost consciousness.

* * *

"_Gaara!" She yelled out. There was pain…so much pain…and suffering. He was in agony! She wanted it to stop. She wanted the mean people to go away! "Just go away!" She sobbed. "Just go away…" _

"Sakura!" Her mother called out. Sakura gasped as she woke up. It was a dream. Sakura gasped again. That means what happened supposedly last night was a dream too?

Sakura wasn't sure if she wanted it to be a dream or not. '_It was so strange…like recovering lost memories. And the boy…Gaara, in the dream he loved me. But what do I know? He wasn't real…He probably doesn't even exist… or does he?'_ Sakura thought confused.

"Sakura! Get your lazy butt out of bed!" Sakura groaned. She had ninja practice today. Then Sakura gasped. _'The chunnin exams are tomorrow!_' She thought franticly. Sakura began to change out of her night gowns and into her usual training outfit, but then stopped.

She glanced at the clock and then began to undress al together. _'I have time for a shower'_ she thought, stepping into the bathroom that was a part of her bedroom.

She walked into her shower and pulled the curtains to cover the shower door. She turned on the water and yelped as ice cold water splashed onto her.

As soon as the warm water began to go through, Sakura stepped into the way of the water again. Sakura sighed in bliss as the hot water ran down her back.

Sakura lathered on her cherries a cream body wash and then cleansed her hair with her favorite strawberry shampoo and conditioner. After Sakura finished her shower, Sakura got dressed into her red training outfit and walked into her mother's kitchen. Sakura pulled a pop tart out of the fridge and noticed a note on the freezer. It read:

_Honey_

_, I went out while you were in the shower to a business meeting for your father's job. I'll be back before you get home so don't worry about dinner. Good luck with training._

_Love Mommy._

Sakura grabbed her head in pain. This note reminded her of another note on a fridge.

Sakura suddenly had an image of a note on a tan colored ice box.

_Honey_

_Your father and I were called by the kazekage for an important meeting. There's food in the fridge. You're welcome to visit the park you were playing at yesterday but don't go far_

_Love Mommy_

'_A park?'_ Sakura thought confused. _'Was that the same park I had a memory of last night?'_ Last night. Was that a dream? Sakura wasn't sure any more. Sakura was jerked out of her thoughts by a glance at the clock. !0:37. It read. "Crap! I'm late!"

**Oh te no!! Here comes the poisoness Fugu fish! Go away Fugu figh!! To make them go away click "Go!"**

**please review...**


	10. The rose

OMG so many reviewers! I cant reply to all of them! thank you so much! Those reviews make my day...or night when i read them. I'm so sorry for the long wait! my stupid internet conection went out! I could type...but not post... :(

I wrote a poem about gaaras feelings for Sakura... Its called Can there be a light? check it out!

DISCLAMER: IF I OWNED NARUTO I WOULD NAME MY FIRST KID EITHER SAKURA OR GAARA.

**Did you miss me? **

**Chapter 10: the rose.:**

Sakura gulped down her pop tart and ran through the door. She could not believe she was going to be late…again! The first time she had overslept and it was an accident but this morning it wasn't one! _'I should have known I didn't have time for a shower'_ Sakura thought angrily, not noticing the jade eyes watching her frantic run.

Gaara had watched her sleep all night. After she had fainted (on him), Gaara had desperately tucked her into her bed and even put ice on her forehead, afraid she got a headache. _'She was so beautiful while she slept…_' Gaara thought, picturing Sakura's sleeping form.

Gaara was lucky that Sakura had changed into her nightgown before she fell asleep and saved Gaara the embarrassing task. Though Gaara probably would not do that and simply have let her sleep in her training uniform. Gaara was sure Sakura would appreciate him not changing her if she heard. _'If she heard…'_ Gaara thought.

He still could not believe it was his Sakura! His heart beat wildly at the thought of last night. She said his name, his nickname even! _'Gaa-chan…_**' **Gaara could feel his body tingle with a strange warmness and knew his love for her had not diminished at all. **And her love for you hasn't diminished either, kid. **Gaara grinned.

Her mumble last night didn't come unheard and worthless. She loved him too! She loved him again! Gaara suddenly heard his teammate's callings. It was time for their training. Gaara's face went blank again. His teammates did not deserve a smile. It was only for the person who cared. Who ever cared. Sakura

* * *

Sakura rushed into the training field. "I'm so sorry I'm late!" She panted.

Kakashi raised his eyebrows. "I'm surprised Sakura, you're usually the earliest one here." He said, taking out his Pocket watch and checking the time.

"I'm surprised too!" Naruto piped in. "Even Kakashi-sensei made it here before you and he's always three hours late!" Sakura groaned. _'Thanks for rubbing it in Naruto!' _

Kakashi cleared his throat. "Now that you are all here," he said glancing at Sakura, who wished she could just become the ground. "I would like to remind you that the chunnin exams are tomorrow."

Sakura's heart sank. That was only one day from now! It didn't leave much time left for practice. "And now…" Kakashi continued. Sakura knew what was coming. He was going to say "And now I would like to say how proud I am of all of you!" and all that other crappy, emotional stuff.

"I would like to say how utterly disappointed I am of you guys." Kakashi finished. **Well…I didn't see that coming! **

Naruto sputtered. "W-What?" Kakashi nodded. "You have got to be the worst team that is entering the chunnin exams." Even Sasuke popped an eye open at this, ruining his 'cool' look.

"But Kakashi-sensei…You're our teacher…doesn't that make you just as bad?" Sakura pointed out, confused that her prediction didn't work. "Nope, because I'm 'bad' enough." Kakashi said, leaning against a tree like Sasuke was, pretending to be cool.

Sakura smiled. She realized Kakashi was kidding and he _**was**_ proud of them. Unfortunately, Naruto didn't catch on to this and yelled. "Hey! Do you want to fight old man?" Kakashi walked away from the tree and shrugged. "Do I have too?" he asked.

"Why you little-" Naruto started but was interrupted by Kakashi saying "Aren't I bigger then you?" Naruto paused confused. It took him a second to figure out what Kakashi meant.

When he looked back up he realized Kakashi was gone. "He just! Did he? Ugh!" Naruto groaned realizing his teacher confused him on purpose so he could get away from him. When Naruto looked back at his teammates, they were gone too.

"Grr! Why do they always leave me behind?"

* * *

Gaara strolled down the pathway toward the hotel. He had just finished training for the exams tomorrow. His teammates were still in the practice fields, since they generally took longer then Gaara.

Gaara usually trained alone, his teammates, afraid of Gaara killing them, always made up an excuse for needing to train with the each other. Such as: "Kankuro knows a new technique he's going to show me" or "Temari told me of a way to disarm chakra ropes".

Sometimes they didn't even give them an excuse and simply walked together away from him to train. They had started doing that more often since they had arrived in Konoha. Gaara didn't care though. He was used to it by now.

The pain wears off after the 200th or something insult. Actually, the insults were fine. The worst part was when people ignored him all together. When people don't even acknowledge your existence, one begins to think you don't exist as well. You walk in a shell of your former self, not noticing anything around you. That was much harder to brush off then a simple insult.

His teammates at any rate feared him. If they had at least that much common sense to stay out of his way, Gaara wasn't going to punish them for it.

It was those idiots who didn't think before they talked that annoyed Gaara.

Suddenly Gaara looked up. There was a blue butterfly, fluttering in a slight breeze. The butterfly did a dance in the air. Its wings was its dress and the air her partner. The butterfly twirled delicately then softly landed on a red rose on the side of the path.

The path was made of tiny bricks all placed in a crisscross pattern. On both sides of the path were flowerbeds, all fully in bloom. On the right side, the flowers consisted mainly of marigolds and tulips and on the left side a most beautiful rose garden.

The butterfly happened to land on the most beautiful red rose among the garden and Gaara found himself walking up towards it. '_What looks so familiar about this rose?'_ Gaara thought coldly, not caring for the serene beauty of the flowerbeds.

He already had his own beauty… _'Sakura!' _Gaara thought suddenly. _'Sakura's glass rose…I broke it and couldn't fix it. She had looked so sad when I had broken it as well…'_ Gaara smiled slowly as an idea popped into his head. "I can make Sakura-chan another rose!"

* * *

Sakura sighed as she entered her doorway of her room. Naruto could be just so annoying sometimes. Naruto was still jabbering when Sakura and Sasuke had noiselessly sneaked

off of the training field. Also, with all Naruto's chatter they hardly got to train at all today! Sakura moaned remembering.

Naruto had caught up to Sakura and sasuke and yelled at them for nearly a half an hour on the importance of "Staying together". Then Kakashi showed up and Naruto had to give him a piece of his mind as well.

Naruto challenged Kakashi to a quick fight and Naruto had ended up with a bruised arm and a black eye. **Ha well it showed him alright, now he's going to get his but kicked at the chunnin exams because he is already injured. **_'Oh…ugh'_ Sakura groaned in her head

The chunnin exams were tomorrow! _'Naruto had better not make Sasuke and I lose' _Sakura thought, angrily. Then Sakura sighed. _'I'm not one to talk'_ Sakura was not even sure if she was ready for the chunnin exams. Sakura had heard people from all over the land came to compete, and that some were vampires!

But of course Sakura also shouldn't believe what she heard from rumors. **We also had heard that Naruto was a demon container. Tehehe yeah right! **,_ 'Hehehe right.' _Sakura plopped down on her bed and glanced at the clock. "7:58" Sakura mumbled. _'When did it get so late?' _Sakura sighed and stood up from her bed.

Sakura walked over to her bathroom on the right side of her room and closed the door. Sakura finished brushing her teeth and walked back into her room when she saw something glimmer in the corner of her eye. Sakura turned around surprised.

There on Sakuras dresser was a beautifully sculpted sand rose.

And Sakura was sure that it wasn't there before.

**The bases are full and your up to bat! Here comes the pitch...You hit it!...Its not going very far! Hit :"go" to make the ball go over the fence and win!!**

**Please review...**


	11. The Start

**_HEY!! Did you miss me? hehehe i'm back from my vacation and let me tell you...it was a blast!! I saw 3! 3!! broadway shows!! Wicked! :) Mary popins:) and...PHANTOM OF THE OPERA!! They were all amazing and wonderful! Dont complain that i was gone so long because my choris group had to sing in...Carnige hall! I visted the Met and time squire, and took a picture on top of the empire state building, and went to american girl place! my doll is so well dressed right now! hehehe my mom complained at all the outfits! Well i'm back and so is another update!_**

DISCLAIMER: IF I OWNED NARUTO MY BANK ACOUNT WOULD HAVE MONEY COMING OUT INSTEAD OF A FLY.

**Did you miss me? **

**Chapter 11: The start.:**

"Hey Sakura!" a voice yelled from her window. "Wake up already!! It's time to kick butt in the Chunnin exams!" Sakura groaned as she recognized the voice. _'Naruto…ugh'_

Sakura covered her ears with her pillow. She definitely didn't want to hear his squeaky voice first thing in the morning. "Sakura!" his voice whined. "We're gonna be late!"

This got Sakura awake. She didn't want to make a bad impression at the chunnin exams. She was a straight A student after all. "All right, All right! Quit whining Naruto! I'm getting up!" She called down from her window before closing it tightly.

_'Hmm, that's strange…' __**What's strange?**_ _I swore I had closed the window last night…'_Sakura shook off the thought and got dressed swiftly. Sakura was about to go down stairs to meet Naruto when she saw the sand rose once more.

It was beautifully carved, with the petals lightly shaped and smooth. The steam was long and gently curved at the top for the petals. One petal of the flower was in mid-flight. It was as if this was a real rose and as one petal was falling someone took a picture of it. Immortalizing it forever.

The rose was so lifelike...but it was missing thorns. As if the person who made this was afraid that Sakura would cut herself. _'I'm a ninja; I can take care of myself'_ Sakura thought sleepily and headed down the staircase to meet her squealing teammate.

* * *

_**And when the World ends, and I am the one who ends it. Will you still smile at me? Will you still hug me when I'm sad? Or will you instead swear to destroy me? Even though I was thinking of you when I destroyed this pathetic world, and how much you would benefit without its cruel influence. And if you do swear to annihilate me, I could not to you. I would not have the heart to…Because I had already given it to you, and you had crushed it already. **_

Gaara glanced at the rising sun. It was already morning. Gaara could hear the sounds of his teammates waking up and going through their morning routines.

Water from the hotel shower was running and Gaara could smell the room service meal all the way from the rooftops. It was time. Today was the chunnin exams, the reason Suna had brought Gaara's team to Konoha. _'The reason I saw Sakura again…' _

At the thought of Sakura Gaara's face lit up, a tiny torch as it always did when he thought of her.Gaara wondered what Sakura would think of his gift to her. Would she remember the rose? Would she be happy about it? _'Would she think it was from me?' _Suddenly the voice of his instructor called out to him.

It was Baki. He was saying it was time to leave. Gaara growled in his throat. Baki shouldn't tell Gaara when it was time to leave. He could already tell by the sun's position it was 10:27. Gaara wondered whether to kill his teacher or not to but decided on a whim not to.

_'I don't think Sakura appreciates killing as much as I do.'_ Gaara thought amusingly. Gaara got up slowly from the roof and the sand that had gathered on his lap during the night flew off of him, in a sort of dance in the morning sun. Gaara thought that morning light was the second most beautiful thing in the world.

It would affect everything it touched in a sort of glow. When Gaara was little after Sakura left, Gaara would pretend that Sakura was the light and he was the dark splotches on the roof. The light would soon cover everything in a warm radiance and the gloomy imperfections wouldn't be shadowy anymore. And it would mingle with the light and be…happy.

Gaara left the roof without glancing behind him and landed in front of his siblings, who were just leaving the hotel, ninja tools in hand.

"Holy sh-!" Kankuro yelled in surprise at Gaara's sudden appearance. This caused Temari to look up to see what Kankuro was cussing about and saw the impassive Gaara.

"Oh G-Gaara!" Temari stuttered, dropping her weapons in surprise. The weapons she had dropped landed on Kankuro's foot. "I th-thought you were going to meet us there?" Temari said, ignoring Kankuro's yelp of pain, and putting on a brave face in front of Gaara.

"Baki said that we should go there as a group to be less suspicious" Gaara told her blankly, empty of all emotion, clearly not impressed at her only stuttering once.

"Of course!" Temari said a little too enthusiastic and pulled a cursing Kankuro down the street. "Let's go."

* * *

Team seven arrived at the chunnin exams in record time. They still had a half an hour in case they were delayed, and they had nothing left to do but go inside and take the tests. The building the chunnin exams were being held in was the Anbu training facility.

The building was an off white colored structure which reminded Sakura more of a hospital then an Anbu school. Small bushes lined the front walls and led to a large, silver double door.

Sakura sighed with her teammates. This was it! This was the reason she had trained so hard over the past weeks. Sakura could feel the butterflies in her stomach as adrenaline coursed through her body. She was nervous.

What would the exams be like? Would she have to fight her teammates? A shiver went through her body. Would she have to fight her teacher, Kakashi? Sakura was scared. She didn't want to die!

Naruto noticed and gave her a reassuring beam. "It's gonna go great, Sakura-chan, so don't worry your pretty head a bit!" Sakura gave him a small smile. It may have been a small smile but it was genuine.

Sometimes Naruto could be sweet…when he wasn't being annoying, that is. But there was one part of his encouragement that Sakura did not like. "Your pretty head one bit!" Was that all that she was? A pretty head?

Sakura was sure she at least had enough brains then to be called just a pretty head. Didn't she? Was that all she was to her teammates? Someone to look at?! Couldn't she ever be something more?

Team seven walked slowly through the double doors, which creaked open as they went past. Naruto laughed nervously. "They need to oil that thing"

The inside of the building was all a white color. The floor was made out of dusty white tiles that were almost gray from the dust. The walls were dry plywood colored with chipped paint and sprinkled in a few patches of mold. There was a notice on the wall in front of the doors. It read:

_The chunnin exams are being held on the third floor. _

_Check in by the door._

_**What is this? A hotel?' Check in by the door' if it is a hotel it has pretty bad housekeeping. **_

Sakura looked to the left and saw a crooked staircase; it was covered in dusty tiles as well. Sakura saw footprints in the dust of the floor that all head to the stairs. There were tons of footprints! Sakura gulped.

That meant there were tons of ninja taking the exams. Slowly the team walked up the staircase, leaving there own sets of footprints in the unclean floor. Sakura's petite, delicate feet, Naruto's lumbering two left feet, and Sasuke's _**"I'm two cool to walk where you walked"**_ feet.

Would this be the last time they walked here? Would this be the set of footprints they ever left together? Would they even walk out of here alive?!

If she **did** die in the exams, would people even care? Of course her mom and Dad would care…but her teammates? Her teacher? Her Ex-best friend?

If she died now, how would she die? Would it be painful…or peaceful? Who would kill her? Maybe Sasuke…or Naruto...Or someone she didn't even know.

_'No…Don't be silly Sakura…you won't die here…And no ones going to kill you either… your just being really stupid!...'_ "Yes really stupid to be taking the exams in the first place" Sakura mumbled to herself, unheard by the others as team seven clambered further up the grubby flight of stairs.

And what may lie at the end of this dusty, crooked staircase may determine the team's entire future…or if they would even have a future left.

**You are traped on a deserted island. A plane flys over head! You had made a flare but it wont go! click go to make the flare spark and to be saved from this horrible island!**

**Please review...**


	12. The forever

DISCLAIMER:IF I OWNED NARUTO MY MOM WOULD MAKE ME PAY FOR THE WINDOW I BROKE

**Did you miss me? **

**Chapter 12: The forever.:**

Gaara stood emotionless to the side as his siblings checked the team in. They had arrived an hour early to beat the hoards of Genin coming and while arriving early they also skipped the little _**"preliminary"**_**.** It wasn't much, the teachers were basically going to trick the Genin's into thinking the second floor was the third floor by a simple repeat jutsu.

The jutsu would repeat the first set of floors as soon as the team climbed to the top, so the team would think by going up the stairs two times they were on the third floor. Gaara scoffed. Only real beginners wouldn't realize they were on the second floor.

The reason Gaara and his team were allowed to skip the embarrassing test was that the teachers had not activated the jutsu yet. Gaara looked silently around the third floor. It was dark with only flickering lights on the ceiling for light, not that Gaara minded the dark.

The floor was still dusty but not as dusty as Gaara noticed it was down on the first floor. Gaara tilted his head slightly to the side as he began to hear murmurings coming from below him. The Genin's were here. Gaara realized as he heard yelling suddenly. They must have just discovered the exam instructors blocking the entrance.

Slowly Gaara headed to the staircase, climbing down softly, not attracting attention from his siblings. Gaara watched from the entrance of the staircase, being able to see the Genin's. It was obvious the Genin's could not see him for the jutsu was still in place.

With odd fascination Gaara watched them argue with the exam instructors who were in front of the door that was the supposed place to check in.

they were saying that the exam was too hard and that the Genin's should just leave now. Gaara saw that some ninjas started heading down the stairs, they were giving up.

Gaara growled. They did not even deserve to be Genin's if they would give up now. His fists clenched. Bloodlust began to fill his eyes at there cowardly escape. No one would care if there were three less cowards in the world.

So no one would care if he killed them. Invisibly Gaara headed down the stairs until he was on the second floor. He was now visible to the _**"humans"**_ but no one noticed as he slid down the steps after the cowards. There were three of them, all in a group, a team.

There were two males and one female. The first boy was fat with swirling figures on his cheeks. The second male was skinner with his hands crammed in his pockets. His hair was sloppily tied in a ponytail at the top of his head. The only female was blonde and blue eyed wearing a purple outfit.

The team was heading down the stairs quietly and sulking. "Hey Ino, Choji, you really think we should do this?" the second male asked suddenly. "I mean, this quitting, I don't think Asuma would be too pleased."

The girl was about to reply to him when suddenly a beautiful female voice was heard from above them on the second floor.

"This isn't the third floor" she said. "This is simply the second" she then undid the jutsu by saying a strong "kia!" suddenly the floor shook for a moment and then it was still.

"Well, well" a voice Gaara recognized as one of the examiners said. "I'm impressed; No one else caught the genjutsu. What's your name miss?" The girl sounded like she was blushing and answered "Sakura Haruno" Gaara's heart thumped within his chest wildly.

His bloodlust suddenly began to fade away. He couldn't think of blood when Sakura was there. Gaara vaguely noticed that the cowards began to climb up the stairs and Gaara followed unseen in the shadows.

On top of the steps Gaara saw that the room was filled with grumbling Genin, embarrassed that they didn't notice the genjutsu, trailing team by team up to the third floor.

The first thing Gaara's eyes went to, however, was a certain pink haired female.

She was standing by her teammates, a blond boy and a black haired male, and smiling proudly. Her blonde teammate gave her a grin and a high five.

Gaara caught what he said. "See what I told ya? Sakura-chan? Everything's gonna be fine!"

Gaara growled in his throat. What was this boy's relationship to her? Gaara felt some of the bloodlust return; instead it wasn't focused on cowardliness but the blonde boys _**"friendliness**__"_ towards his Sakura.

**'He is too close to her…'** a voice rang out in Gaara's head. '**I don't like it…'** it told Gaara. Gaara ignored it, choosing to watch what Sakura was doing.

Sakura turned to the black haired boy, who was leaning against the wall, waiting for the line to go up the stairs to decrease. "Sasuke-kun?" Sakura asked in her heartbreakingly beautiful voice.

_**"Sasuke"**_looked up uncaring, at Sakura. "Hn?" Sakura blushed. "I j-just wanted to know if you caught the difference of the genjutsu and real life too." Sakura said embarrassed. Sasuke looked bored. "Of course I did, I caught it faster then you did anyway,"

Sakura looked down. "Oh…I s-see" Sakura turned around again suddenly towards the Genin line "The l-lines moving" Sakura said in a small voice. Sasuke scoffed. "I knew that as well." And headed up the stairs.

Gaara clenched his fists into balls until his fingernails left crescent moon shapes in his hands. **'How DARE he talk to her like THAT!'** Shakaku's voice rumbled in his head. Gaara face was cold and bloodthirsty. _'How dare him indeed…'_

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**I am an Angel. Yet if I love you, a demon? It is called bad. Why is it bad? Love is the greatest good in the world. Shouldn't by loving you, it cancel out the bad that came when you were born as a demon? Why is the world so stereotypical? Other demons are evil so automatically this one, my love, is evil as well. And I, an angel must be good. Am I good by falling in love with a demon?**

Sakura walked into the hall were the exams were being held in after checking in with her team at the front desk. Sakura was proud that she had been the only one who had figured out the genjutsu. Well, not the only one… Sakura looked swiftly at Sasuke and her heart sank.

Sakura was simply trying to make conversation with her crush. Sakura looked down. Was that so bad? Suddenly a voice buzzed out over the small speakers on the dirty walls as every Genin piled into the suddenly crowded room.

"Attention, Genin, welcome to Konoha! As you know, we are holding the first test of the chunnin exams today. I trust everyone has signed in and is ready to begin? Good! Now the first exam is going to be held by Torture master Ibiki and the rules will be described inside of the exam area."

Sakura gulped. **Torture master?!** What were they going to have to do?

The voice continued on. "Once you are inside get seated and be ready to begin!"

The voice suddenly stopped speaking filling the room with a nervous silence. Some of the Genin began to push there way out of the hall, obviously trying quit while they had the chance.

'Those are the smart ones…not me…All I did was discover a genjutsu! Clearly not even enough to impress Sasuke…' Sakura thought bitterly as the doors to the first exam opened.

The inside of the exam room was a classroom. It was just like the ones they had at the academy. Sakura sighed. Sometimes she missed the academy. It was much simpler and…fun back then.

Sakura could relax and easily crush on Sasuke without getting in the way of the team like she did now. Sakura looked around the classroom for a seat. Teams were separated from each other and as long as you didn't sit next to a teammate you could sit by anyone you wanted too.

Sakura sat randomly at a seat. No one was sitting beside her, just the way Sakura liked it. Suddenly Sakura heard a chair pull up to the empty seat to Sakura's left. Sakura sighed.

She guessed someone _**would **_be sitting next to her after all. Sakura just hoped they wouldn't talk a lot to her, during whatever the first exam was. '_Hopefully it will be easy'_ Sakura prayed as she waited for the instructor.

Suddenly Sakura felt someone's eyes staring holes in the left side of her head. Annoyed, Sakura turned around to her left to tell the person sitting next to her to stop staring when she gasped. She was met with very familiar jade eyes. The same eyes that were on her roof, the same eyes that belonged to Gaa-chan!

Sakura gasped at him. "G-Gaara?" she asked. Gaara's eyes lit up like a child at her recognition of his name. "I k-know you very well, I j-just can't remember from where." Sakura said slowly to him, afraid of why he had chosen to sit next to her.

Gaara's eyes looked suddenly confused and hurt.

Sakura suddenly got the image of when her father was mad and kicked the family's dog when she had peed in his favorite shoes. The dog looked betrayed.

"Sakura-chan?" he asked suddenly. "Why don't you remember me?" his tone now turned mad. "I remembered you. I remembered you for forever, I missed you. I missed you for more then forever."

His tone now became quit. Almost in a whisper now. Sakura had to put her ear closer to him to hear what he said. Sakura wasn't sure if she wanted to. She was afraid.

Softly Gaara said

"I loved you…I will love you for forever and an eternity…"

**OMG!! It's Edward!! The sparkalishious vegatarian vampire from TWILIGHT!! OMG and he has Bella!! AND JACOBS THERE!! to go to this magical wonderful vampira and werewolf place aka forks washiton click go!!**

**Please review...**


	13. The exam

**I am sososososososososososososososososo very sory for the long wait!! Its just soooooooo frustraiting being in 7th grade for the fist time!! i bet Edward gets it off better cause hes been throw school quite a few times! i mean he IS 110! Sory again and here to the story!**

DISCLAMER:YOU WISHED I OWNED NARUTO CAUSE THEN I WOULD MAKE GAARA AND SAKURA PAIRING CANNON!

**Did you miss me? **

**Chapter 12: The forever.:**

Gaara whimpered softly, almost inaudible. "You broke your promise…" Sakura froze. An image was suddenly spun out like thread in front of her eyes.

_"No!" "Gaara-kun! I love you! I won't forget you!"_ Sakura gasped then.

The dream _**was **_real! This meant that he was…? Sakura shook her head. She didn't know what to think. So many things were going on at the same time.

Suddenly Gaara opened his mouth. Breaking the position with his head down like a wounded puppy. He looked up at her with a grin. Sakura shivered at the sight. It wasn't a nice grin at all…it was deranged.

His lips were curled up in almost a snarl and his jaw was out. Gaara's eyes were unreadable as the grin stayed on his face.

"That's okay Sakura-chan." He said. Sakura shivered once more at the grin and his voice. His voice was lost…and almost crazy sounding.

"We can just make more memories!" he said. His eyes were staring at her face with a blank wide-eyed expression. The grin was still there.

Sakura looked at him and bit her lip in fear. Did he really remember her so called dreams? What was so important about a childhood memory?

Why did it feel like she was forgetting a huge important detail? His eyes were wild, almost animal like…no exactly animal like.

"W-What are you?" Sakura stuttered, her voice was a whisper and it cracked slightly. Gaara's grin widened, if that was possible and answered. "Your best friend!"

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

He could smell her fear. It was coming of off her. Radiating off of her in delicious little shivers.

Shakaku chuckled within Gaara's head. She smelled positively luscious when she was bathed in her own fear like that. It made him slightly hungry, but what distracted him from his hunger was his host.

Gaara hurt. Not a physical wound. No, Shakaku's sand made sure of that, Yet Gaara still hurt. His host was grinning ear to ear like a madman (Shakaku chortled at this) but inside where Shakaku resided was a black hole forming.

Shakaku knew his host better then he knew himself, for he lived in Gaara's mind. His host was lying threw his (sharp) teeth (fangs), as he had told "Sakura-chan" it was okay. Gaara's mind was spiraling in confusion and betrayal. His mind tried to make conclusions about why Sakura-chan didn't remember him.

How could she not…? '_She played with me_!' He thought wildly_. 'She laughed with me!_' was another thought. _'She loved me!'_ Gaara's thoughts froze. 'She _loved_ me…'Gaara's body stiffened. _**Loved**_. Shakaku stiffened as well. Loved. Past pretence. _**'As in she did…before…' **_Shakaku finished.

Gaara stopped breathing. His mind scrambled for some truth. Something to cling on to in its panic. It ran through his mental dictionary and searched for past pretence.

_'A Past fact, something that was before….' _……_'Before'_ Gaara thought blankly. _'She loved me….before. But doesn't now…'_ Gaara suddenly felt an odd sensation in his chest.

He thought it was his heart finally breaking after all the hate and unlove towards him in his life. He sat there feeling the odd constricting until Shakaku yelled within his mind _**'Breathe!'**_

Gaara breathed and the constricting feeling went away almost immediately but somehow another odd pain filled him. Filling him almost to the top with the most hurt ever imaginable.

Gaara recognized this pain as the pain he had felt when Sakura was forced to leave; only this pain was ten times as bad. The pain Gaara felt when Sakura was gone had been a little numbed by the fact that she still loved him. Without that little assurance the pain hit him full force.

Gaara had never felt pain before, well at least not physical pain other then that time with the lashings so he was unaccustomed to it.

Gaara wanted to scream, just as his victims did when he killed them. He wanted to cry, as he had seen the wife's of the men Gaara's father tortured do. He wanted to curl up in a ball and sleep a dreamless night as he had seen his teammates do when they were troubled. And last of all he wanted to die.

Life without Sakura wasn't worth living… Not even killing could make him exist. Gaara whimpered and clutched his heart_. 'I hurt…'_ he thought.

'I_ hurt a lot…'_ Suddenly something warm was placed on his shoulder. In shock and pain at the contact Gaara jerked away from the warmth. Gaara noticed wide-eyed it was a hand that was being pulled back in surprise of the movement. "I-I'm sorry…" said a small beautiful voice.

She kept her hand in the air as if confused about what to do with it. Eventually she put it gently into her lap in a soft, slow movement. "I…" she stopped, looking at Gaara's pained and frantic expression. "I…" She started again aware that Gaara's scared eyes were watching her intently for any flinch or show of her hatred towards him.

"I didn't mean to forget." She said quickly in a surge of panic. "I didn't mean to…honest!...And I do remember…..A little…." She continued speedily.

"All the big important stuff I think at least…Like that blond guy and how I didn't want to leave….wherever I was…and how I said 'I love you'….to….someone." Sakura trailed off, as if forgetting were she was and who was watching her reactions.

Gaara's heart did an odd flip-flop when she said 'I love you'. She remembered she loved…someone…but not Gaara himself. _'Maybe then she does love me…'_ Gaara thought suddenly hopeful. _'She just doesn't remember it!'_

Gaara's pain immediately melted at that thought. The thought that someone as wholesome and pure as (his heart flopped again) Sakura, could love him. '_I love Sakura-chan._' Gaara thought suddenly_. 'I love her so much! Much more then she ever could love me back…' _But surprisingly Gaara didn't care.

If she loved him just a little bit…It would be heaven to Gaara, and he would return it a hundred times back. Suddenly the door to the classroom opened.

A man with his head covered with an oversized head band came through the door. Everyone in the room stopped there nervous chatter (that Gaara didn't notice before) and turned there head to look at him.

Even Sakura who was biting her beautiful pink lip in anxiety turned her (stunning) head in curiosity to see who entered.

The man had a powerful authority about him and intimidating scars on his face that seemed to continue up to the top of his head and a few on his hands.

He walked towards the well used black board at the start of the room and wrote in long, scrawling letters "Ibiki Morono"

He turned to face the class slowly and dramatically.

In Gaara's head Shakaku scoffed. **'This is a torture master? Tsk Tsk' **The man, Ibiki from the board, suddenly spoke startling some of the chunnin wannabes in the front of the classroom.

"Welcome, all of you, to the first part of the chunnin exams. This part of the exams may be easy for some of you and for the others…" He trailed off for a dramatic effect Gaara supposed.

"This part of the exam is a written test, to see who of you are real ninjas or not." Gaara heard several of the other contestants gulp and some began to sweat slightly.

Gaara glanced at Sakura when she made a little (adorable) giggle sound in the back of her throat. She looked completely confident with herself and seemed to be preparing herself mentally for the exam.

She caught Gaara's gaze for a second and looked back nervously at him before switching her gaze to the dirty tiles beneath her. Gaara's heart sank slightly as he saw her do that. She had no reason to be afraid of him. Others did, but not Sakura.

Ibiki began speaking again. "The strict rule of this exam is that you cannot cheat." As he said this Gaara noticed an odd gleam in his eyes that others probably would not notice.

"If you get caught cheating more then three times you and your teammates will get disqualified from the exam. There will be 5 examiners who will make sure you do not cheat." And as he said this suddenly five men wearing similar clothing to Ibiki appeared.

"I will hand out the tests now"

**If your happy and you know it click the review button. If your happy and you know it click the review button. If your happy and you know and you REALLY want to show it CLICKTHE REVIW BUTTON!! throws something at you**

**Please review...**


	14. The Testing

**I know I havent updated in nearly a year. I apologize. I really am sorry. I'm in 8th grade now! All this homework is exausting! sorry again.**

DISCLAMER: MY HEART CRYS IN PAIN FOR LACK OF OWNING NARUTO.

**Did you miss me? **

**Chapter 14: The Testing.:**

Everyone silenced as Ibiki walked about the classroom in long practiced strides handing out the tests.

Sakura raised her head in confidence as Ibiki handed her a test. Ibiki was smirking at her as if to say "There is no way to pass even with your confidence." Causing Sakura to draw back a little.

Maybe this test was going to be hard! After all this was going to be chunnin level questions. Ibiki silently handed Gaara the test as Gaara glared fully at Ibiki. He took the test silent as well, never taking his eyes off the torture master.

Sakura glanced over at Naruto who was receiving the test just now. He looked proudly at Ibiki until Ibiki walked away and Naruto looked at the test.

Naruto's face fell and Sakura gulped for both of them. _'I sure hope Naruto doesn't __**completely**__ fail the test.' _Sakura thought watching as Naruto stared at the test slightly sweating and scratching his head, as he always did when he was nervous. _**Not a good sign…**_ _'Nope....'_ Sakura thought back.

She then turned her gaze to Sasuke. He sat a couple desks away looking confident and completely in control. Sakura sighed. At least he would be getting a good grade.

Sakura then let her eyes stray to Gaara. He was watching her. The grin was of his face but he still had the deranged look in his eyes.

She stared back for what seemed like forever but her gaze broken when Ibiki yelled "Start!" Sakura looked down at her test and at the first question.

1. Why do logs traditionally make the most efficient ninja decoy?

Sakura sighed in relief. This was a simple question. Sakura began filling the answer into the space provided.

'_They're easy to find in the forest._' She thought as she wrote it down. Sakura glanced up nervously at the second question.

2. Explain chackra and how to use chakra in a paragraph below.

'Ummm' Sakura thought anxiously. 'I know this one! Umm, chackra runs through the body, it…!' Sakura smiled relieved as she thought out what to write down.

'Chakra is energy extracted from cells that Ninja's need to be able to use Ninjutsu or Genjutsu, to use them correctly the Ninja needs to mix their Chakra with their spiritual energy then use special Hand Seals to activate the technique that they want to use'

Sakura was happy she made it to the third question.

3. Name 3 genjutsu examples.

_"ahh…_' Sakura grinned. Genjutsu was her specialty. '_Kori shinchu no jutsu, Magen: Kokoni Arazu no Jutsu and Kasumi jusha no jutsu' _She filled them in easily and moved to the next question.

_'This is almost…fun!_' Sakura thought. She enjoyed taking tests and proving her abilities. She felt someone's stare at her left side. It was Gaara.

She gave him a light, albeit nervous smile and returned to the test trying to ignore the look she had saw in his eyes. _'Why is he looking at me?' _Sakura tried to remain the confident self but felt a little wary by the way he gazed at her.

She sighed in relief as he turned his head to look at his test. '_Thank goodness…, I couldn't concentrate.'_ Sakura went back to her test, albeit weary 'hmmm_, Chakra overflow is caused by what 6 factors…'_

**

* * *

**

Gaara watched Sakura fill in answers gleefully. Her face shown with such a radiant light he couldn't help but watch her. She must have felt his gaze because she glanced up from her work with a surprised expression.

She saw a flicker in his eyes and flashed a small but sure smile at him and looked back down at her test.. His heart thumped aflutter in his chest. That was the first time she smiled at him here in Konoha.

He looked at her in utter adoration until he noticed she moved tensely in her chair. Oh. She was embarrassed. He quickly looked down at his test. She was just too cute. Gaara looked at his test. He hadn't filled out a question yet.

Gaara didn't see the point really, of a written exam but Sakura seemed to enjoy it so Gaara set to work. That was when he noticed someone staring at Sakura.

It was the blond female he had saw on the stairs. One of the weaklings, he remembered.

The girl stared at his Sakura and prepared her hands for a jutsu. Gaara saw red and he growled lowly. The blond one jumped slightly as she felt Gaara's glare to the fullest. She broke her concentrated gaze at Sakura and looked at Gaara.

She began to shiver from looking in his eyes.

His eyes were cold and hate filled and she gasped, fear emitting from her very core. It was as if she could see all the death's he had planned for her and the cruel tortures, with blood dripping and oozing from her body-.

She broke eye contact quickly and gazed down at her paper fearfully. She trembled in her seat and her body shook.

The person sitting next to her, a red haired male, took notice of this and looked at where the blond had been looking. He glanced quickly back down as well in fear.

Satisfied, Gaara turned his look back to the test, which was still hatefully blank. Gaara glanced at the first question.

1. Why do logs traditionally make the most efficient ninja decoy?

Logs? Damn, this was a Konoha test for sure. You can't find logs in the desert. In Suna Gaara was taught to use rocks and cacti for decoys. Gaara looked up from his test a bit agitated.

How was he supposed to know the answer? That was when Gaara noticed a man in front of him, He did not look nervous at all. He simply filled out the questions with ease until, appearing done with the test, he sat waiting.

_'A perfect guy to copy'_ Gaara thought, relaxing himself preparing to use his third eye. He relaxed into a position he had perfected, one hand covering his right eye with two fingers. The sand moved to his will and formed a tiny eye, smaller then a normal human eye.

Gaara willed the eye to appear right on the mans table out of the man's eyesight. _'perfect'_ Gaara thought as he saw the answers to the questions right in front of him. He silently copied them down and he had his third eye disappear in a small whir of sand.

Gaara now sat at the table silently. He contemplated showing Sakura his answers but thought against it when he glanced at her from the corner of his eye.

She filled out the questions with a firm eagerness you had to admire. Gaara smiled slightly. He wouldn't want to ruin her fun now. In a few minutes Sakura gave a large happy sigh and looked up from her test paper.

Gaara could see she had finished and watched intrigued as she stretched her arms. She looked at her test paper proudly and scanned across the room gloatingly as if she were thinking _'Ha, I finished first!'_

Gaara leaned close to her and whispered in her ear. "Actually…I finished before you"

Sakura jumped in surprise and turned slightly to look at him. "w-what?" It was obvious she didn't hear what he said. Perhaps she was thinking of something else or maybe because Gaara had surprised her.

Gaara tsked and told her. "You weren't the first to finish"

An examiner with a large clipboard gave Sakura and Gaara a warning glance for talking. Gaara glared openly at the man and whispered to Sakura.

"The man in front of me finished right before I did, you finished third"

"o-oh" Sakura muttered and shifted to the right of her chair away from Gaara. Gaara tilted his head slightly.

"Was it wrong to tell you that? Did I…" Gaara tested out some new words. "Hurt you're…feelings?"

The examiner glared at Sakura and Gaara again but Gaara ignored him.

"um…" Sakura started. She didn't look as if she knew how to respond.

* * *

Suddenly a load voice was heard. "Time for the tenth question, If you are ready or not" It was Ibiki. A couple of groans were heard but Sakura wasn't one of them, she was thinking _'Thank you .' _

"You had more than enough time to fill out the answers so stop complaining, None of those answers count anyway if you don't pass the tenth question." There were sounds of confusion from the room.

"Oh? Didn't I tell you?" Ibiki said in feigned innocence. "If you don't pass the tenth question,… you will never be able to enter the chunnin exams ever again."

_'What?!'_ Sakura thought in franticness and surprise. _'We never heard about this!'_ Sakura glanced over at her teammates.

Naruto had a rather worried look on his face. He was biting his nails and looking back between his test and Ibiki. Sakura met his gaze for a brief second and Naruto tried to swallow his anxiousness and put on a brave face.

Sakura glanced at Sasuke. He looked calm and collected as always. Sakura didn't know how he did it. She had o admit she was jealous sometimes.

"But, Of course there is a cowards way out" Sakura looked back at Ibiki as he started to talk again. "If you give up now, you will be able to take the exam again next year." Sakura bit her lip. She couldn't take the final question. She just couldn't.

She had no idea what it would be about, whether written or physical. If she failed, she wouldn't be allowed back. She swallowed and looked at her teammates. Sakura was surprised to see Sasuke looking at her.

Sakura met his eyes and he nodded as if to say. "We are taking the final question no matter what" Sakura glanced at Naruto and he seemed to be thinking along the lines of the same thing. He hardened his face with determination and set his jaw.

Sakura felt a small tear traitorously leave the corner of her eye. "He's bluffing, Sakura" She heard Gaara whisper to her. He was right behind her ear and Sakura could feel his hot breath on her neck. Her hairs stood on end.

"h-how do you –k-know?" She asked him, whispering as well, trying to ignore the feeling in the pit of her stomach. A kind of excitement. "One of the examiners is smirking" Gaara told her and sure enough the one that had glared at them had a smirk right on his face.

"w-what does that prove?" Sakura asked him defensively. "He might be s-smirking because he knows we are all going to f-fail."

Sakura cursed inside her mind at the reason she couldn't stop stuttering.

"Sakura" He hissed to her, softly. "Trust me"

A group of men raised there hands suddenly. One of the men stood and told Ibiki his group was deciding not to take the tenth question. Ibiki old them they could leave, mockingly, and the three men all stood and walked out of the large double doors.

A smaller group, two females one male left and six boys left the room. The room was emptying rather fast until only a brave number of about 20 were left sitting.

Sakura was one of them and she felt a pit in her stomach. Suppose Gaara wasn't right. Suppose she failed the question. As she contemplated that Ibiki stretched his arms out wide.

"Those of you who remained passed the first exam"

_'What?!'_ Sakura thought confused. That was it? No Ninja battle?

"Only the bravest will make it to be chunnin's and I know see that the people in this room have the guts it takes" Ibiki continued. "But do you have the integrity and strength?"

Suddenly there was a load sound and a female burst threw the double doors.

She demanded in a large, powerful voice. "Alright, listen up you brats! I'm Anko. Your instructor for the second exam. My job is to tell you what the rules are and where the second exam will be held. Oh, and also to make sure you don't get killed."

There were feeble chuckles from the examiners.

Ibiki walked up to Anko and whispered something to her. She nodded and put her hand on her hip. Anko wore a fish net top and beige cargo pants. Her hair was an odd shade of purple and she had a large sense of pride and dignity. It seemed to ooze from her.

"Alright" Anko finally announced.

Gaara glanced at Sakura for a brief second.

Sakura looked back at him.

Her heart gave a small thump.

"The second exam is the forest of death."

**Look at that! What is it you ask? Why it's my heart. Yes...My heart IS a blue little button at the bottom of the screen..............No.....You can NOT have it. It's mine. But you can click it! PLEASE!!!!!!**

**Please review...**


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